 |
| Ingrid, Ryan Pickart |
I came across oil painter Ryan Pickart’s work over on Escape Into Life here. It’s a bit like a modern Klimt, in pastel oils rather than gilt, but still with those big languid eyes, no? They just jump out of the flat, decorative background.
The artist has more work, including some lovely sketches, on his blog.
 |
| Alina, Ryan Pickart |
Death masks were wax or plaster molds applied post mortem to create a replication of the dead’s face, and could then be reproduced further. Casts became popular to display or use as a model for a bust or portrait in the late Middle Ages. This practice was common until the end of the 19th Century. Some of the surviving masks are wonderfully expressive. While admittedly morbid, there’s something touching and honest about the surviving portraits. They would have served as accurate reminders in the age before photography, perhaps less flattering than portraits but seemingly immediate.
The works themselves are of mixed quality, but there are some truly fantastic pieces in themselves. What I enjoyed even more was the story the show told; a romantic one of continuing if not untroubled love. Marie-Thérèse became Picasso’s mistress at 17, bore him a child, and committed suicide after his death, 50 years after they met. He painted her throughout his life.
A great slideshow on the WSJ site shows many of the pieces.
