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Catherine McCarthy
Shhh...He's Sleeping

2020

About the Item

Evoking a centuries-past sensibility, Catherine McCarthy's passionately rendered yet lyrical images form enigmatic art works that are rich with metaphorical allusions to the artist's life history and personal experiences. Using universal iconography in her multi-layered works, McCarthy creates a diverse vocabulary to visually chronicle her past. In addition to referencing family snapshots, she borrows freely from art historical sources, quoting Raphael, Piero della Francesca, Picasso, François Boucher and Antoine Watteau, among others. In her intricate canvases she combines historical, contemporary, sacred, and secular icons that create a narrative compIexity. McCarthy's paintings serve as a powerful and poignant metaphor for the ebb and flow of memories and emotions. Heartney observes: "McCarthy treats each image as a tenuous thread leading back to a hidden universe. She assembles a tapestry of disparate images, not to defeat meaning, but to draw us into her inner world."
  • Creator:
    Catherine McCarthy (1955, American)
  • Creation Year:
    2020
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 30 in (76.2 cm)Width: 24 in (60.96 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    Lincoln, MA
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU3886743252

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