THE ARTIST AND HIS MOTHER
by Arshile Gorky [15 Apr 1904 ~ 21 Jul 1948]
1931, 152 x 127 cm
This painting of artist Arshile Gorky and his
mother is based on a photograph from 1912. A few years after the photo was
taken, Gorky and his family were among the thousands of ethnic Armenians who
were victims of the Armenian
genocide. The artist and his sister survived the ordeal.
The painting was done when the mother was dead. She died close to him; he says in his arms, of starvation, when he was sixteen years old.
This may be a picture which has to do with laying to rest a memory of the mother which haunts him.
It's clear in the picture that there may have been some, a painting of actual hands, at least the right hand. But there does seem to be a violence in erasing the two hands.
There is a muteness here in the very tightly closed mouths. But there may be other things which point to that quality of muteness, also.
The painting was done when the mother was dead. She died close to him; he says in his arms, of starvation, when he was sixteen years old.
This may be a picture which has to do with laying to rest a memory of the mother which haunts him.
It's clear in the picture that there may have been some, a painting of actual hands, at least the right hand. But there does seem to be a violence in erasing the two hands.
There is a muteness here in the very tightly closed mouths. But there may be other things which point to that quality of muteness, also.