KATHRYN MYERS

451 Greenwich Street - 4th Floor
New York, New York 10013
212 / 274 - 9182

BIOGRAPHY

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STATEMENT

My paintings are narratives in which the relationships between the
figures are ambigous. In many pieces, the figures are isolated,
without a specific space or environment for their activities
to be occurring in. There is an awkwardness
between them that creates a sense of tension and apprehension, and
the use of high-contrast lighting or chiaroscuro increases the drama.

Some of the images are based upon religious narrative painting
although these references most often serve as a departure point.
I am interested in how an image or story such as
The Conversion of the Magdalen may be translated
in to a contemporary ordinary setting such as the kitchen
in my painting titled "The Premise".
I am often hesitant to allude to these references however,
as once one realizes the connection, they are often unable to see
the pieces in any other context. The appropriation of
religious stories, myths, and images relates to my catholic
background and attraction to the ambiguity
and drama of Baroque painters such as Caravaggio.

A further focus in my work since 1994 is upon "portraits"
which often appear to be fragments of the narrative paintings.
The heads are not an attempt,
as in traditional portraiture, to capture the personality of the sitter,
but to create a persona that could be a participant in a narrative.
I am fascinated by the subtle range of expression that can make
a significant difference in the content of a painting.
In some of the recent work such as the painting "The Passage"
the narratives are an extensions of a double portrait.
This work has a directness that is different than work that begins
with the narrative image in mind.
Because of my increased interest in defining
the subtlety and depth of facial expression
the simplicity of composition in this work feels appropiate.KATHRYN MYERS

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