HIDDEN FACES
The 2020 Victorian Salon des Refusés
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Cat #14 Mary Larnach-Jones
STILL PAINTING IN A TIME OF PLAGUE Oil on Canvas 60 cm h x 50 cm w $3,000 Artist’s Statement I had prepared a self portrait for the Archibald Prize but the moment COVID hit our shores, I knew I needed to make another, referencing the plague. I’ve always been fascinated by the South American Dance Macabre with its images of dancing skeletons and red roses. Also the celebration of the Day of the Dead. Medieval images feature pallid green bodies when depicting the Black Death and COVID is a plague as deadly as any that’s gone before it. By restricting the palette to green and red I hope I’ve carried through with the idea in a slightly ghoulish (but playful) way. This portrait was submitted for the 2020 Archibald Prize. click on artwork to enlarge |