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Two Female Models in Bamboo Chairs with Mirror

Two Female Models in Bamboo Chairs with Mirror

Artist: Philip Pearlstein (American, 1924 - 2022)
Date: 1981
Dimensions:
H: 72 3/16 in. (183.4 cm); W: 72 1/8 in. (183.2 cm)
Medium: Oil on canvas.
Classification: Paintings
Credit Line: Purchased with funds from the Libbey Endowment, Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey
Object number: 1982.121
Label Text:". . . I have learned to look at what is in front of me without idealizing it. That has become a consuming experience in itself, and ultimately that may be the aspect of my work that will continue to irritate. Most of us really don’t want to see things as they are."

A parquet floor, bamboo chairs, and silk kimonos receive the same careful scrutiny as the hair and skin of nude models in Philip Pearlstein’s paintings. In a larger-than-life, close-up view of a studio setting, Pearlstein energized the composition with both a reflected image and a strong bisecting diagonal.

While his painting technique is meticulously realistic, he draws upon a thorough knowledge of abstract composition in arranging his subjects.
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In Collection(s)