Aloofness

Piety Choi · 11-06-2006, 09:51 PM

Hi, I've not been painting Portraits since last summer, because I'm doing new experiments now.

But I think this one wasn't posted yet. It's been painted a year ago.

Oil on Canvas, 30"x40"

I've scratched out fish forms from the painting.

Enzie Shahmiri · 11-07-2006, 12:17 PM

Piety,

This is a very interesting painting. Would you please tell us what the story behind the painting is. I would like to know why you scratched out the fish ? What is the significance of the image of the dark haired woman?

Rather than assuming things, I love to hear your thought process behind this painting.

Thanks!

Karin Lindhagen · 11-09-2006, 03:50 PM

I love the sense of tenderness that the man in the background expresses. An interesting and intriguing way of posing the models...

Piety Choi · 11-13-2006, 01:37 AM

Thank you for your response, Enzie and Karin.

I'll explain more about the painting.

This painting depicts Gretchen and Ralf, who are my art classmates at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, with a self-portrait(black hair) by Gretchen in the background. Gretchen is in love with her boyfriend Ralf who is holding her from behind. Fish is Gretchen

Enzie Shahmiri · 11-13-2006, 08:03 PM

Piety, thanks for sharing your thought process in creating this painting. It is very interesting to see how you have interpreted these peoples relationships to one another.

Alexandra Tyng · 11-13-2006, 10:21 PM

Piety,

How nice to see you posting on the forum again!

I love the pose, and the way the two subjects are placed on the canvas. I also love the interaction between Gretchen and Ralf, and the expressions on their faces. In this portrait, as in all your portraits, your portrayal of people is insightful on many levels.

I'm not thrilled about all the scratched-in fish, for three reasons:

1) There are so many of them, and it is overpowering, and not subtle. The spiritual message is shoved down the viewer's throat. The painting should, and does, speak for itself without them. Now, I am not saying that the message is obvious in a literal way--but then it is not necessarily literal or clear even with the fish. It's like an author overexplaining something in a book. A message like this can be successfully communicated through your skill in showing interaction, body language, facial expression, color, mood, etc. And I think you have a painting that captures the viewer's attention. You can't help but be intrigued by what is going on in the painting.

2) Stylistically there is a clash between realism and modernism/expressionism that you haven't quite worked out. The people are realistically painted, then overlayed with these line drawings on the picture plane. I keep wanting to wipe the fish away so I can see better what's going on "inside" the space. You could say I feel this way because I paint realistically, but I like other kinds of art besides realism, so I am not speaking about a preference for realism.

3) There is a fish on her shirt already. That's enough! And it is beautifully painted and quite interesting artistically in itself.

Piety Choi · 11-20-2006, 11:14 PM

Dear Alex,

Thanks for your very helpful comments. I may not have succeeded in natually expressing my thoughts and feelings in the painting. I would have agreed with you in normal circumstances. However, I would rather defend myself in that (1) I have not forced my interpretation to anyone. I just have provided my interpretation here because I was asked to do. I left the interpretaton to viewers. (2) In the actual painting, the scratched drawings were not dominant at all. They are actually hardly noticed from most directions. I think they are rather blended well with the rest of the painting. i somehow like the way they are mixed together.

Jan Keeling · 11-22-2006, 07:23 PM

I like the fish, Piety--assuming that this is a one-of-a-kind painting. I would agree that they were too much if you did this on all your paintings! But you do not, and I find this a very interesting exploration. It is lovely.

Piety Choi · 12-02-2006, 05:00 PM

Jan, Thank you for your replying.

I did it just once for this painting. I may be try more this scratching later. But I think I have to consider more that those scratchings are overwhelming the original painting when I would like to do it next time.

But I'm busy for the other experiments for now .

Piety

Mark Branscum · 12-11-2006, 10:17 AM

I don't like th fish! I am coming from a perspective of realism.

I feel the fish on the shirt is sufficient. I just feel the other is distracting.

But, then this is not my interpretation, its yours, and I feel you have the right to interpret it your way, that's what makes it yours.

You have done a beautiful job! Would love to see this one up close, I might even change my mind then about the fish.

Mark