Shelley Adler: Sitting, Standing, Looking

Following her highly acclaimed exhibition, Idols, Muses and Lovers, a series based on Picasso's female muses who were artists in their own right, these latest paintings highlight Adler's own sources of inspiration. 

 

In these five large-scale oil paintings and one ink drawing, Adler has captured her close friends and her daughter, Zoe, in intimate settings. Her inherent knowledge of their physical appearances as well as their personalities allows her to convey a near psychological presence. While the sitters are somewhat gestural in their depictions, Adler's particular attention to their clothing and posture speaks volumes about the nuances of age and character. Her subjects are always at the forefront, at times their gazes confronting the viewer, while the backgrounds dissolve into compelling abstract colour compositions. 

 

 

 "Your muse can be anything and anyone and yes, you get to decide and interpret that influence.  My muses have been those people around me who I know and live with. The interesting thing about my muses is that there is a loose connection from their image to the image in my mind and what I’m after.  It’s almost a synthesis of the sitter and myself."

- SHELLEY ADLER