Museum Director

Alexandra Tyng · 01-13-2009, 02:36 PM

Gretchen Worden, former Director of the Mutter Museum (Philadelphia College of Physicians), oil on linen, 48" x 36"

Here is my latest commissioned work. It is a posthumous portrait of a dynamic, compassionate woman who devoted her career to the Mutter Museum. You may have seen her on the David Letterman Show; she appeared on the show three times over the course of several years. The Mutter Museum is a medical museum started by Thomas Dent Mutter in the 19th century with the donation of his collection. The collection includes human skulls and skeletons, preserved body parts with various diseases, conditions, or abnormalities, and old medical instruments. A plaster cast of Chang and Eng, the original Siamese twins, resides there (along with their preserved liver). The purpose of the museum is to preserve knowledge of, and to educate the public about human pathology and medical history. With funding from the city of Philadelphia, the present director has created an exhibit on the history and present dangers of lead poisoning. Personally I have always found the museum to be a fascinating place.

In the background of the portrait is the skeleton of a 7' 6" giant, and the skeleton of a 3' 6" achondroplastic dwarf. Ms. Worden isholding a lithotrite, an antique instrument used to enter the male bladder and crush bladder stones!

Alexandra Tyng · 01-13-2009, 02:37 PM

Here are a few more details:

Mike Dodson · 01-13-2009, 04:07 PM

What a wonderful painting! Her expression is as if she has something to share with us. Nice interaction between subject and viewer. The handling of the paint has a nice flow also. Great hands! I want to study those hands for awhile!

Tom Edgerton · 01-13-2009, 04:13 PM

The life in your subject is just superb.

Allan Rahbek · 01-13-2009, 06:40 PM

Alex,

Rembrandt lighting on a modern woman.

She looks as if she would gladly demonstrate the tool. The skeletons seems so amused, but then again it's not their problem anymore.

This is a wonderful portrait, serious, humorous and so refreshingly well painted.

Alexandra Tyng · 01-13-2009, 06:54 PM

Thank you, Tom and Mike! Life was what I was aiming for. When I'm doing a posthumous portrait I feel as though I'm bringing the person back to life. I think all portrait painters must feel this way.

All the people who knew her and shared their stories about her agreed that her smile was a very important thing about her. I wished I had known her, because watching her on the videos was a real experience. She had an incredible sense of humor. When she was on the David Letterman show, they fed off each others' humor. Amazing to watch! She could maintain a serious expression for quite a while, then she would get a gleam in her eyes and break into a wide smile or start laughing. After watching these tapes over several times, I became interested in the whole smiling process, especially the moment when she first got the gleam in her eye. I decided this was the moment I wanted to capture in my portrait. It had the potential energy.

Alexandra Tyng · 01-13-2009, 06:57 PM

Hey, Allan! You noticed the skeleton's reactions to the lithotrite! Hardly anyone noticed this. How about the hand of the giant? I couldn't resist putting my own weird humor into this painting.

James Garrison · 01-30-2009, 11:40 AM

The subject matter and color arrangement bring Thomas Eakins to mind. I also see this image and think of an artist in love with her work.
James

Alexandra Tyng · 02-04-2009, 09:04 AM

Thank you so much, James! Eakins is one of the artists whose work I have admired for a long time. And, yes, you are right that I do love my work, though I never am satisfied with what I make. As Picasso said, the next one is the masterpiece. I never give up hope.