gail potocki

[posted by Aili]
I was in the big generic bookstore the other day, looking at art magazines. Most of them were showcasing ultra hip urban styles, full of clean lines and youthful disenchantment. Not that there's anything wrong with that. It just reminds me of t-shirt logos and skateboard decks.

Gail Potocki, on the other hand, is truly old school. Her oil paintings seem to be from an earlier era, and at this point such a nod to the old masters is kind of refreshing.

Reparations

2002

You can tell she really likes Anthony Van Dyck (1599-1641).

Portrait of Maria de Tassis
1629

She also likes the work of the symbolists, and like them, includes metaphorical objects and images in all of her paintings.

Three Fates
2005

I like her use of the rat king above. Not a good omen, apparently. No wonder:

photo of rat king of Rucphen

I particularly enjoy these two paintings below. The odd use of scale is quite pleasing to me, and I wonder what she means by the bees.

Shipwrecked
2005

Washed Away
2007