A Faded Gaze

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James Gordaneer, “Memphis Story,” 1988

oil on canvas (Gift of the Artist) (courtesy of the Gallery)

Artists evoke emotion through the eyes and the way the subjects look at the viewers. The way that the artist chooses to capture the gaze can dramatically change how a viewer perceives the work and the person depicted in the portrait. The construction of gaze as a visual device, orients, manipulates, and challenges the understanding of the viewer.

The works in this exhibition are gathered from the Two Rivers Gallery permanent collection and aim to explore a series of figures in which the faces are distorted, faded, and blurred, either by the artist’s intention or the technique employed. Whether standing alone, alongside loved ones, as part of a vast landscape, or amidst street protests, these characters embody narratives left to the imagination and the intrigue of stories left untold.