Tony Scherman
(Toronto 1950)
Jupiter: Rape of Callisto
Signed, titled and dated 93 on the reverse
Signed on the reverse
Pigmented beeswax on canvas, 152.9 x 137.2 cm
Provenance:
– Gallery Barbara Farber, Amsterdam (1993) (incl. copy of invoice)
– Corporate collection, The Netherlands
NB:
Scherman has used the Greek-Roman mythological stories about abductions and rape as a guideline for a series of works. Scherman did not, as artists from the sixteenth and seventeenth century did, depict the mythology as literally as possible. In a series of separate images he rather evokes an atmosphere loosely connected to the story, such as a portrait in close-up. Although his scenes are traditional, his method of painting is not. Practically all his paintings are made using liquid beeswax mixed with pigment, as a result of which he has to work very quickly. Each painting therefore has a deep glow, as if the light is produced by the color itself. Sherman for this reason has been called a post impressionist, who has looked very closely at Roman frescoes. Due to his theatrical effects his works can also be labeled as baroque.