Awake 2017

Martine Johanna made this painting called 'Awake' sometime in the 20th century. It’s got this dreamy palette of peaches, pinks, and soft greys. It makes you wonder, doesn't it? I imagine the artist starting with a wash, letting the colors blend softly, almost like a watercolor. Then, building up the layers for the figure, that gaze so direct it’s like she’s peering right through you! And the cat? It's like a sketch, a whisper of a presence, all edges and lines. I think that Johanna is playing with layering here. She's thinking about what we reveal and conceal when we depict a person. I am reminded of other artists that work in this way such as Marlene Dumas. It's not just a portrait, it's an emotional landscape. Artists, we're always in conversation, aren't we? Building on what's come before, questioning, pushing. This painting is a reminder that it’s the ambiguity, the stuff left unsaid, that really gets under your skin.