Despite its cool, unemotional title, the painting is more than an objective study of an effect of light: this almost has the richness of a portrait.
Adam Elsheimer’s jewel-like images embody in miniature form some of the most powerful ideas to be found in Baroque art.
In the presence of these authoritatively rendered forms bathed in theatrical light, we are witnessing a drama acted out on the rough-hewn stage of a kitchen table.
Kasimir Malevich’s groundbreaking work in the Russian avant-garde movement has resulted in pretentious emulation.
Much of the late nineteenth-century preoccupation with the femme fatale is prefigured in this image.
The scene of winged Cupid rescuing mortal Psyche from a death-like sleep is Van Dyck’s subject here.
The tortured character of much of van Gogh’s work – the swirling foliage of his trees, the spiralling stars of his night skies – seems to be the expression of an inner turmoil that is barely kept in check.
Diverse elements are scattered across the huge landscape with a dynamism that thrusts them with a kind of centrifugal force towards the edges the canvas.
An apparent deadpan simplicity masks intriguing ambiguity in this captivating photorealist work.
Subscribe to Reaction and receive unlimited access to the site, our daily email with analysis every evening and invites to online events.
© Copyright 2023 Reaction Digital Media Limited – All Rights Reserved. Registered Company in England & Wales – Company Number: 10166531.
