Stripping the chair from the image allowed me to explore just the relationships between wall, floor, and ceiling. I kept the painting within the painting, as that allows me the opportunity to add some content to the image and discover possible meaning.
The juxtaposition of paintings on the wall started as a conflict between vertical and horizontal layouts. The image an 18th century puffed up nobleman with medals, and a reclining nude (originally painted as soft porn for the men of the era) seems rich in the possibility of interpretations, which of course I’ll leave to the viewer.
Room with Competing Pomposities, 2024
oil on canvas
30 x 24 inches
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The perspective grid on the floor seems to feel like it is sinking, or sliding down. The wall treatment of thick and brushy work evokes a storm, and the inset painting of a sailboat makes the painting a depiction of impending doom… a possible shipwreck.
Room with Potential Shipwreck, 2024
oil on canvas
30 x 24 inches
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