Exhibition Spotlight: “Seeing into the Present” at Alexey Von Schlippe Gallery
My oil painting “Janus” was selected for “Seeing into the Present” at UConn Avery Point’s Alexey Von Schlippe Gallery. The opening reception is Thursday, May 7th, 5:30–7:30 PM. I hope you can join me.
The Timelessness of the Portrait
When I entered my work for this show, I focused on time. Art trends change, but the portrait stays timeless. It remains a bridge connecting viewers to living subjects.
In my piece featured in the exhibition, “Janus” I wanted to capture that enduring connection. By painting my friend Nike and her cat Xerxes, I want to show the relevance of an animal companion today as it was thousands of years ago. Janus is the double-faced Roman god of endings, beginnings, doorways, transitions, and passages. One of his faces looks to the past, the other to the future. Nike and Xerxes’ closeness makes me feel that they are, in fact, a double-faced entity.
From the Renaissance to the Present
In creating “Janus” I found myself drawing a mental line back to the Renaissance, specifically to Leonardo da Vinci’s “Lady with an Ermine” Regardless of the ermine’s actual existence as Cecilia Gallerani’s pet, or its symbolism as Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan.
By painting Nike and Xerxes, I am exploring that same intimate iconography. Where Cecilia had the ermine, Nike has the domestic cat; yet the fundamental bond—the way we hold and are held by the creatures in our lives—remains unchanged.
Women and Animals in Art History
My work sits within a lineage of women depicted with animal companions, a theme that has long been used to show protection, personality, and power:
- Cecilia Beaux, Sita and Sarita (1893): A striking portrait of a woman with a small black cat perched on her shoulder, echoing the composition and feline mystery found in modern portraiture.
- Frida Kahlo, Self-Portrait with Monkeys: Kahlo frequently used animals to represent her own emotional state and her connection to the natural world.
- Mary Cassatt, Girl with a Dog: Cassatt often captured the quiet, domestic intimacy between women and their pets, elevating these private moments to fine art.
- Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun: Known for her portraits of the 18th-century elite, she often included lapdogs to emphasize the warmth and humanity of her subjects.
Join Me for the Opening
The gallery is located in the historic Branford House, a setting that perfectly mirrors this dialogue between the past and the present.
- When: Thursday, May 7th | 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM
- Where: Alexey Von Schlippe Gallery of Art, UConn Avery Point
- Address: 1084 Shennecossett Road, Groton, CT 06340