Why Not Say What Happened
Artist
Mark Greenwold
(American, born 1942)
Date2003-2004
MediumOil on wood
DimensionsUnframed: 19 x 17 inches (48.26 x 43.18 cm)
Framed: 25 1/4 x 23 1/4 x 2 inches (64.14 x 59.06 x 5.08 cm)
Framed: 25 1/4 x 23 1/4 x 2 inches (64.14 x 59.06 x 5.08 cm)
Credit LinePurchase: acquired through the generosity of the William T. Kemper Foundation–Commerce Bank, Trustee
Object number2008.8
On View
Not on viewCollections
DescriptionThe painting is a domestic interior. On the left, a man wearing a blue shirt and blue jeans is seated on a bed. Next to him is a woman who is standing with her back to the viewer as she looks into a mirror. To the far right, a nude man in a turquoise blanket stands while looking down at the floor. There, at the woman's right foot, is a human-headed insect who is grinning.Gallery LabelMark Greenwold's dream-like paintings depict his friends and acquaintances in psychologically charged scenarios. In Why Not Say What Happened, four individuals occupy a domestic interior. The man on the right is the artist. At first glance, the people seem normal, yet their heads are too large for their bodies. Thoughts represented by abstract patterns emerge from their heads. Although the people are in close proximity, there is no interaction. The painting is both realistic and fantastic, as seen in the human-faced insect near the woman's foot.
Greenwold uses photographs from architectural magazines and personal photographs as source material. His diverse subjects are recreated in paint, fused by the meticulous application of minute brushstrokes, which are distributed evenly over the smooth wood surface.
Greenwold uses photographs from architectural magazines and personal photographs as source material. His diverse subjects are recreated in paint, fused by the meticulous application of minute brushstrokes, which are distributed evenly over the smooth wood surface.
Copyright© Mark Greenwold / Garth Greenan Gallery, New York
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2024.30.14
