By Michael Gormley
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| Ann Marshall, Bridled, pastel and paper collage on paper, 19.5 x 63 inches |
Who doesn’t love a bride?
In 1962, at the tender age of five, I was the ring bearer at Mary Donnelly’s wedding —she was my favorite babysitter and I her favorite charge. I recall like it was yesterday standing dumbstruck in the church vestibule as the doors swung wide and Mary, now a fairytale, floated in on a cloud of whooshing crinoline, satin and lace. For nearly a year after I filled page after page of my notebook with drawings of Mary the Bride—and could think and talk of little else. To this day I’m never very far from that searing memory. It was the moment that switched on the artist—my first encounter with the muse.
Brides, and particularly art about brides, are sure to get my attention. There is something artistically irresistible about the in-transition space that brides inhabit—a sublime passage signifying the death of one life form and the birth of another traversed with the aid of elaborate costume and ancient ritual. And compelling narrative aside, there is all that gorgeous white on white to paint and draw—coded opportunities to capture the kind of refracting light that sparked Sargent to heights of expressive genius.
Bridled, pictured here, is a recent commission work by Portraits, Inc. artist Ann Marshall. The work will be one of the featured pieces in the upcoming “Today’s Portraits” exhibit at the Salmagundi Art Club in New York City—and rightfully so. A masterful mix of luminous pastel and collaged reflective paper, Marshall’s bride shimmers like an eye-rubbing mirage—the perfect expression of a perfect form ascending to a perfect moment.
You know this bride—we all know this bride—meaning that this work is haunting because it is not just a portrait of a specific client on her wedding day. It is iconic as all brides are—and it expresses, as do they, the sublime power of true love betrothed. Marshall notes, “…the sitter's name is Lauren. She expressed an interest in the project and we went from there. Like most modern clients she didn’t have a week to give me for portrait sittings so I took lots of pictures—actually several hundred. I was looking for a very specific type of photo—one that offered a quality of light with intrinsic artistic interest—beyond that which attenuates form or flatters the sitter. This is a goal I have with all of my portraits: if you didn't know the person, would you still find the work interesting?"
Marshall works intuitively and doesn’t always have a fixed idea for a work’s final design when starting a commission. She notes, “Sometimes I'll have a pose in mind, but I try to remain open and observe the sitter—often something spontaneous and natural to the sitter will present itself, and I'll work with that. In this work, the sitter has a long lean figure, and the mannered “S” pose worked to extenuate it. Once the pose is settled, I'll lay in the figure and afterwards begin the collage."
Marshall adds that working in collage is especially tricky as most paper suppliers don't keep consistent stock and she needs to be open to what materials come her way. For Bridled Marshall used old bridal magazines that had been left out for recycling. She concludes, “…this lucky find helped me decide on the final design of the work and made it interesting. My teachers Steven Assael, Max Ginsburg and David Soman all emphasized the importance of seeing my subject as beautiful human life unfolding before me and not a design problem. The aim of the artist is to arrive at an expression that best approximates that captivating life force.”
Well said. I for one have fallen hopelessly in love yet again.
Michael Gormley is a painter, writer, curator and regular contributor to the Portraits, Inc. blog. Gormley is the former editor of American Artist magazine and most recently created the fine art catalog for Craftsy--an online education platform.
Portraits, Inc. was founded in 1942 in New York on Park Avenue. Over its 70-year history, Portraits, Inc. has carefully assembled a select group of the world’s foremost portrait artists offering a range of styles and prices. Recognized as the industry leader, Portraits, Inc. provides expert guidance for discerning clients interested in commissioning fine art portraits.
