"Angela a go go" oil on canvas, c. 2011

 

Description:

A painting of my wife, Angela. It shows Angela in a jeans jacket. The work is based on a trip to the Oregon coast with its marvelous light. The light and blue sky create a mood of both optimism and complexity. The underpainted sketch (macchia) shows through in burnt sienna. This painting is an example of my "American verismo" style. It relates to the Scapigliatura ("wild hair") movement of circa 1900 in Milan, Italy. Perhaps that constitutes the conceptual element in this "Angela a go go" portrait where the actual intent is "verism." But it is a more modernized and existential kind of verism from that of Puccini and other composers whose works defined the word. My work is inspired both by the Italian I Macchiaioli and the Scapigliatura movements.

Comments by Kristen T. Woodward, resident curator, Artist2Artist.com:

"It has the same captivating loose and tight organization of brushstrokes I’ve enjoyed in your other portraits. There’s a tension between these alternating disparate strokes, as the tighter areas reveal critical features which are underscored by less controlled painterly marks. The overall gestural handling animates the expression and mood, which I read as somewhat reticent. The deep violet under the figure’s chin accentuates her face, while the broken color of her hair virtually dissolves into the light. With the absence of distinctive apparel or costume the subject remains timeless, but the hot tonality of her skin reminds me of some of Robert Henri’s early portrait studies. I do find it curious that the cloudlike background creates a pleasing atmosphere, but the lack of horizon doesn’t permit the figure to become grounded in the space. Her squinted eyes could be interpreted as searching this unseen horizon, contributing to a sense of loss, or the forlorn."

Glossary:

ve·ris·mo and verism Noun/v?'rizmo/ 1. Realism in the arts, esp. late 19th-century Italian opera.
2. This genre of opera, as composed principally by Puccini, Mascagni, and Leoncavallo -- verism is the practice of verismo (dal vero: working from/after life or truth)

Scapigliatura is the name of the artistic movement which developed in Italy after the period known as Risorgimento, (1815–1871, which led to the unification of Italy and the modern Italian state). The name Scapigliatura is the Italian equivalent of the French Boheme and Scapigliati (literally "dishevelled", "unkempt") the name given to this group of artists which included poets and writers, musicians, painters and sculptors

Are there any special circumstances surrounding the creation of your portrait?

Yes, a trip to Yachats and then Nye Beach on the Oregon Coast for our anniversary. The light, as mentioned above, is changed by the sea. As in Venice, the Oregon Coast has its special light effects rendering the objects illuminated with a poetic intensity. This is especially true at Nye Beach a favorite hang out for writers, poets, and painters.

Glossary:

ve·ris·mo and verism Noun/v?'rizmo/ 1. Realism in the arts, esp. late 19th-century Italian opera.
2. This genre of opera, as composed principally by Puccini, Mascagni, and Leoncavallo -- verism is the practice of verismo (dal vero: working from/after life or truth)

Scapigliatura is the name of the artistic movement which developed in Italy after the period known as Risorgimento, (1815–1871, which led to the unification of Italy and the modern Italian state). The name Scapigliatura is the Italian equivalent of the French Boheme and Scapigliati (literally "dishevelled", "unkempt") the name given to this group of artists which included poets and writers, musicians, painters and sculptors