Artist: Caitlin Kuhwald- Berkley, CA
Title: Brielle
Medium: Giclee print from original acrylic on canvas
Available: ArtFire.com
Appeal:
I'm bringing in a ringer here. If you've ever been to a fine arts museum no doubt you'll see portraits inpsired by Diego Valazquez, court painter to the Spanish King Philip IV, or perhaps Jacques-Louis David who did some outstanding portraits of Napoleon. These, other court painters and hordes of portraitists strive to get the details as clear as possible in their linear, photocopy-like style. That kind of work, while technically impressive, has been done so much that it's lost much of the impact it once had.
Here Kuhwald mixes the linear with a slight touch of abstraction in her portrait of her friend, Brielle Duyum, which gives me the feeling this person is real but is somehow out of reach and much more interesting than I. Her outfit is coloful, fashionable and slightly exotic, her pose is relaxed and confident. As monarchies have mostly disappeared I can only wonder if she is a celebrity but celebrity requires no reconsideration. If I haven't heard of the subject how famous can she be? And there is the masterful quality of this painting. Kuhwald has taken an ordinary person and given her an undeniable air of mystery and celebrity. Don't we all need portraits like this?
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