Image details: The Space Between You And Me (after Arthur Devis) 2021 acrylic on board 51 x 41 cm

Recognised as a narrative painter, Sydney-based Tanya Chaitow’s current exhibition is informed by an exploration of the work of the Old Masters, particularly the European paintings from the 18th and 19th centuries where the upper classes are portrayed in bucolic landscapes. Her interest in this era stemmed from a time when she was working directly from the paintings of Francesco Goya in the Prado Museum, Madrid. “Art is a cultural reflection of a civilisation,” Chaitow imparts. “The history of art is an infinite source of inspiration and I am attracted to the way art describes the zeitgeist of its time. My present body of work questions the traditional canons of beauty and identity and the way women have been objectified. I am enjoying turning classical portraiture upside down and disturbing the veneers of gentility. Historical genre paintings are re-imagined and the female forms have been transposed from their place of origin into chimerical landscapes.”

Opening: Saturday 26 February 4-6pm

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