NEW YORK—Emphasizing the realistic contours of her subject’s flesh, Jenny Saville’s “Still” captivates viewers. Recently installed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art‘s Modern and Contemporary Art gallery, the painting derives impact from its large-scale, tight focus and use of color. The cool palette the British-born artist chose to execute the work is a compelling, beautiful choice given the disturbing implications of the canvas: It is unclear whether the woman portrayed is wounded and swollen, or simply fraught and exhausted.
Photos by Arts Observer
“Still,” 2003 (oil on canvas) by Jenny Saville.
“Still” and, in background at right, “Nacked Man, Back View,” 1991-92 (oil on canvas) by Lucian Freud.
Detail of “Still.”