Marlene Dumas
The Woman of Algiers, 2001
Oil on canvas
78 3/4 x 39 1/2 in.
The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles
Marlene Dumas is a contemporary artist living in Amsterdam. She is a well known paper and social activist. Dumas takes images seen in the media and paints them - with a twist to make it sickening and raw. This painting is based on a picture seen in a French tabloid.
REACTION
I really like this work: it seems sketchy, almost airy, but the message and color scheme is heavy, which creates contrast. The painting is clearly of a human form, but the black censorship bars are stark in comparison. The bars are not fully black, or fully rectangular: they remind me of some of the work done in layering shades of black by some of the non-objective artists we have studied. I also like how loose the strokes are: being a perfectionist, I'm not very good at that, but I love it in other work. This seems reminiscent of Degas. The use of pale blue and pink for value seems to add almost sarcastic sensitivity to the other wise monochromatic color scheme.
The Woman of Algiers, 2001
Oil on canvas
78 3/4 x 39 1/2 in.
The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles
Marlene Dumas is a contemporary artist living in Amsterdam. She is a well known paper and social activist. Dumas takes images seen in the media and paints them - with a twist to make it sickening and raw. This painting is based on a picture seen in a French tabloid.
REACTION
I really like this work: it seems sketchy, almost airy, but the message and color scheme is heavy, which creates contrast. The painting is clearly of a human form, but the black censorship bars are stark in comparison. The bars are not fully black, or fully rectangular: they remind me of some of the work done in layering shades of black by some of the non-objective artists we have studied. I also like how loose the strokes are: being a perfectionist, I'm not very good at that, but I love it in other work. This seems reminiscent of Degas. The use of pale blue and pink for value seems to add almost sarcastic sensitivity to the other wise monochromatic color scheme.