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| Verso detail: Martina
2015, Hand embroidery: One ply cotton, silk, and wool thread on Belgian linen with acrylic paint background 14.5 x 30.5 in / 36.8 x 77.5 cm |
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| Martina
2015, Hand embroidery: One ply cotton, silk, and wool thread on Belgian linen with acrylic paint background 13.5 x 10 in / 34.3 x 25.4 cm 14.5 x 11 in / 36.8 x 27.9 cm (framed size) |
“About Face” is an incredible portrait show. Zavaglia has made small, intimate portraits
of very ordinary looking faces intensely extraordinary by hand
embroidering. There are some paintings
and some large paintings that are no less extraordinary as the paint is
mimicking the threadwork. Both examples
are just stunning. Even the “plain”
painted backgrounds to these portraits are interesting and filled with thoughtful
texture and intensely neutral colors. The
faces themselves take on a bas relief feel as they are built up with actual
texture and layers upon layers of threads.
Don’t just look at the meticulously rendered front of these pieces. On display is a 360 degree view of one and
the back is just as psychologically disturbingly beautiful as the front is a
mastery of the unexpected beauty of mundane. I have
a fascination with art featuring the mundane and everyday rendered in a way
that reveals beauty.
“About Face” is up through December 12th at Lyons
Weir on West 24th street.
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