Gallery Review #4 NEW MUSUEM

For this gallery review I visited the New Museum on Bowery St. in the Lower East Side. The museum itself seems to be a work of art. It has a unique architectural design with modern aspects for an interior layout. The gallery was featuring a show for Elizabeth Peyton. The show included over 100 works in the past fifteen years. I find it very interesting that Elizabeth Peyton has such a large body of work that included paintings of family, friends and famous figures over time. There were figures like musician Kurt Cobain and the famous painter Frida Kahlo. I believe her work displays a sense of admiration for each figure she paints. Peyton’s works are mostly done on small canvases with great detail. There is a consistency in her work because it seems Peyton put a fairly even amount of effort into each painting. This supports the feeling of admiration Peyton has for each and every one of her figures. Peyton most likely look to these figures for inspiration in her work. Another feeling I got from her work is the narrative actions of the figures.
Each canvas feels natural as if she wanted to show each person in their regular state. Her paintings are similar to photographs. Her portrait of Frida displays a nude Frida with strong facial features almost trying to say “I am a woman and I appreciate my body”. The paintings have an intimate understanding of who the figure was and how Peyton viewed it. I believe Peyton viewed Frida as a strong woman who she admired.
Peyton also did a series of paintings on Kurt Cobain whom she must have had a great appreciation for. Each Kurt painting had a different style and mood. I think she was trying to relate her paintings to the actual way Kurt Cobain lived. The painting shows sides of Kurt like his humbleness and his depression. Peyton narrates her humble depiction of Kurt in a bright surrounding holding a cat on his shoulder and looking onward somewhere. The colors go well with the mood and the sense of happiness in the figure. The depressing painting of Kurt gives off a gloomy and dark feeling. Kurt is surrounded by a dark color background with his hair over his face. I believe by Peyton related to how Kurt felt and was able to incorporate it into her work.
I regard Elizabeth Peyton’s style of admiration as a strong sense to being an artist. It seems Peyton finds inspiration and incorporates it into her work through her admiration. It is also not easy to narrate a figure but Peyton successful achieved this impression. There is unity in her series of work and each painting compliments another. I now look for Peyton’s work and style for inspiration.