The inspiration for this series came as I was browsing Instagram and happened upon  a video from London’s National Gallery with the associate curator, Sarah Herring, talking about Gustav Klimt’s painting of Hermine Gallia. 

What delighted me was the relationship between the presenter and the painting, the richness of the colors in the painting and the museum’s setting.

I immediately wanted to paint what I saw. 

Intrigued, I looked at more postings from the National Gallery and Madrid’s Prado. (also the Vigo Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Columbia Museum of Art).  Numerous possibilities became apparent.

For a number of reasons, I have never felt compelled to travel, to visit lots of museums, but have certainly enjoyed these virtual visits and the opportunity to use these exquisite little timepieces to produce small narratives. 

Viewing these videos also reinforces my sense that what separates us from the art in them is distraction, not distance or time. Although these works may be thousands of miles away, the paradox is that the insanity of the instantaneous internet makes them more accessible than ever to a much larger viewership. 

The acts of painting and the contemplation of a work are both about being still long enough to inhabit the space within the painting.  So, though the works may be several hundred years old, these reintroductions give them new breath, a renewed life in the present.  The combination of the works of art, the institutions, the presenters, and the viewers is an alchemy with energy flowing amongst and transforming all those involved.