Dimensions: support: 838 x 1166 mm frame: 965 x 1295 x 50 mm
Copyright: © The estate of Marie-Louise Von Motesiczky | CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED, Photo: Tate
Editor: We are looking at Marie-Louise Von Motesiczky's intriguing painting, "From Night into Day," currently residing at the Tate. The stark, almost jarring composition makes me wonder, what do you see in this piece formally? Curator: Immediately, I am struck by the artist's masterful manipulation of chiaroscuro. Notice how the stark contrast between light and shadow sculpts the figure, lending it a palpable weight and presence. The chromatic arrangement, predominantly muted tones punctuated by sporadic vibrant accents, further enhances the visual dynamism. Editor: So, the interplay of light and shadow and the specific color choices are key to understanding it? Curator: Precisely. Consider how the composition directs the viewer's eye. The subject’s gaze, the objects at the base of the composition, and the artist’s brushstrokes collectively contribute to the work’s overall formal structure, creating a compelling visual experience. What are your thoughts? Editor: This deeper look into the structure really changes how I see it. Thanks!
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http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/von-motesiczky-from-night-into-day-t04851
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This is a portrait of the artist's mother, Henriette von Motesiczky, at the age of ninety-three. She is shown in bed, at the home they shared in Hampstead, London. The title relates to the fact that von Motesiczky's mother found difficulty in sleeping and often lay awake as night became day. She did not sit for this portrait. Instead, it was painted in the artist's studio near her mother's bedroom, which von Motesiczky regularly visited to see her model. It thus combines memory and observation. Von Motesiczky made eighteen portraits of her mother from the mid-1940s until the latter's death in 1978. The artist believed this to be 'one of the very best'. Gallery label, August 2004
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