Angelica 2016

Camilla d'Errico painted "Angelica" sometime in the 20th century, and right away I notice how the colors are like a candy store – bright, a little unreal, and yummy! The angel's wings cover her eyes, and I love how they're painted. Each feather is distinct, like it's been carefully observed and rendered with a delicate touch. But then, below, the paint starts to drip and melt, becoming something else entirely, not quite solid or liquid, it is as if the image is breaking apart. Look at her hands – they’re adorned with rings and her nails are these glossy jewels, but they are also dissolving into the ground. There's something both appealing and unsettling in this contrast, a tension between order and chaos, control and release. It reminds me a little of the surrealist paintings of Kay Sage, where crisp, clean lines suddenly give way to the fluid and the fantastical. It’s like a reminder that nothing ever stays still, or makes sense, and that's what keeps us all looking, right?