By Michael Gormley
Kerry Dunn, "Toto and I," Oil, 40" x 30"
Best of Show, Portrait Society of America; International Portrait Competition 2013
“There are moments in our lives, there are moments in a day, when we seem to see beyond the usual… Such are the moments of our greatest happiness. Such are the moments of our greatest wisdom.
It is in the nature of all people to have these experiences; but in our time and under the conditions of our lives, it is only a rare few who are able to continue in the experience and find expression for it.”
Robert Henri, The Art Spirit
I love this self-portrait by the artist Kerry Dunn. Unlike its historical precedents, a genre loaded with dramatic if not tortured baggage (think Van Gogh), this work doesn't take itself too seriously. If anything the maker has adopted a self-parodying stance that situates the work within our present time--fitting as the artist's website describes him as a "traditional oil painter in a contemporary world."
Dunn announces this avocation by his affected wardrobe choices--he’s playing dress up in an updated version of French artiste drag replete with striped shirt, jaunty cap, and a toothpick hanging out of the side of his pouty mouth--the former standing in for the de-rigueur cigarette. Other allusions abound. Toto, as cute as a button and true to her namesake, nearly steals the show. She breaks into the lower frame transfixed by what at first appears to be a dab of blue paint and according to the artist, is meant to be a fly whizzing by. I thought the dab was a spider scrambling up the picture plane (or mirror if you want to take the allusion idea one step further) and began reciting “Little Miss Muffet” and “The Itsy Bitsy Spider.” No matter whether it is a fly or a spider, both work to introduce the element of surprise into Dunn’s narrative--a natural response to life and its seeming random unfolding of observable events. Like the unexpected fly-by, Dunn casts the viewer as a surprise guest. He and Toto are both caught off-guard and momentarily fixated—the result being a moment of arrested action and a scene ripe for painting.
Without question, “Toto and I” offers a brilliant, and at times exceedingly clever, self-portrayal of an artist at work. If you are content with that critique of Dunn’s painting then you needn’t read any further. But I would argue that Dunn’s work is not just a self-portrait; it is also an allegory commenting on contemporary painting---specifically realism and the attendant advances in the evolution of human sight. Dunn meets his reflection (and by extension confronts his viewer) with attentive wide eyes—a facial expression that pointedly captures the act of seeing. I imagine that he has been dutifully laboring for quite some time, waiting for some sign of life to come into his view and animate his senses. Then life happens. Something changes and cast in the role of artist, Dunn comes to with an attentive audience to play to. Actually it doesn’t matter what’s grabbed Dunn’s attention--be that an intruder real or imagined, a pesky fly or Toto’s sudden appearance. What matters is that he was quick to spot and paint it--“it” being the flash of the unexpected that is nature revealing herself.
“Toto and I” garnered the Best of Show Award at the Portrait Society of America’s 2013 International Competition—which of course is a big deal—but that’s not why I love it. I love it because it has a lot to teach about painting. Likely you have already realized this and the award simply corroborates for you what you sense is special about this painting--namely that it has vision. By vision I mean that the artist, in his search for life, was open to experiencing something beyond the usual. And he let that seeming random phenomenon captivate and enchant him. He then conjured up a compelling image that re-imagines the sensuality of that felt experience--first for his own enjoyment and subsequently for the enjoyment of his viewers.
My guess is that open-eyed wonder in the face of nature’s infinite display makes for great portrait painting. The best practitioners are genius at capturing the flickering something that recalls the energy of life—and those painted images have a powerful and salubrious impact on our collective well-being. How then can one become a better portrait painter? I’d say stop using your smart-phone for selfies and start using your paint palette instead. Life doesn’t reveal herself in a one-off snapshot; she reveals herself over time in a succession of unpredictable epiphanies. Great painters are alert to observe and respond to these moments of truth; this can be as simple as seeing a lock of hair grazing a forehead as an opportunity to express movement and light. One can get better at spotting these signifiers—but that skill won’t improve by taking photos or using photo reference. I’m not saying that a photo can’t capture a flash of life--but I think that the quick mechanics of the camera work against nature’s rhythms. Perhaps that’s why professional photographers take hundreds of shots to arrive at one truthful image.
Dogs don’t dig up other dogs’ bones--get to know your bone. So stick with painting if you want to become a better painter and that includes increasing your ability to maintain sustained periods of heightened perception. If you are lucky enough to have the available resources to get a model to pose for you--then by all means do so. Otherwise pose for yourself. We are all most interested in ourselves anyway--so painting your favorite subject will help motivate you to stay focused and alert to the shifts in life as they occur around you. Ultimately this increased optical sensitivity will demand that you expand your expressive powers in order to capture the ever shifting face that life presents to us.
Cheers,
Michael Gormley
Kerry Dunn currently teaches painting at Studio Incamminati in Philadelphia, PA. For more information about the school and its programs visit http://www.studioincamminati.org.
Michael Gormley is a painter, writer, curator and regular contributor to the Portraits, Inc. blog. Gormley was the editor of American Artist magazine and most recently created the fine art catalog for Craftsy--an online education platform.
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