The Empty Plaza
A typical story, with an extraordinary setting. A white-haired older man, possibly a veteran, seeks to get his weekly substance, onions, a bit of lamb, perhaps some Baklava, and wine to wash it down. But, it appears that everyone in town is watching a football (EU) match. The overarching sky seems to be a spectator as well.
Another of my earliest efforts on 3/4" furniture grade walnut plywood, and a bit larger, so it is heavier than most of my new paintings. But I love this one dearly. However, I am truly not putting the love factor into the price. It is what it is, and it fits in someone's abode perfectly. Do you own antiques? European furniture style, or perhaps have tall and decorated ceilings and thick woodwork?
22x32x1 in. Oil on Walnut panel, solid Oak frame. Keyholes drilled in the back side for sturdy hanging.
Responses (2)
October 11, 2022
"The Empty Plaza" is a highly effective as it uses stark, streamlined realism and lighting to convey the experience of isolation. There is no need for a lecture from a docent to understand it's theme. On the other hand, like a Edward Hooper painting, it depth increases the more one looks at it. One can see that there is no physical danger lurking and that the elderly man is in his home town. He may not be lonely but he is alone and will only become older and more challenged as he continues to age. This work shows Steven Curtis at his best.
October 11, 2022
Steven Curtis’s The Empty Plaza is empathetic, melancholic, and provoking. The elderly are often cursed with loneliness. The departure of children, the death of a partner and friends leave many of our elders alone in an increasingly unrecognizable world. Hunched over under the weight of time and circumstance, they maintain a routine, have fleeting and generic interactions with strangers, and hopefully a phone call now and then, but for the most part, their existence is solitary. Of course, recent events have made the elderly even more vulnerable and isolated, but, as evidenced in The Empty Plaza, this state of affairs is an old one. The desolate plaza highlights the communal void experienced by the aging members of society. It gives us a renewed sense of empathy and love for those who continue to live when all they know has died.
October 12, 2022
Although I have to say as well, that this painting, like so many of mine, is derived from quite a few hours of collecting the most interesting and striking photography from the internet, winnowing through them, looking at them for a long time, and making decisions on what to paint from them. Many I take only an element from, or the basic idea from, but this one is almost exactly like the photograph, except there were other people in the distance shopping. It was a wise decision to take them all out in order to create the mood I saw in this man's stance.
What's also unusual about this, is that I normally find the photographer and get permission to paint their photograph. In this case, I could never find that person. It seemed to have a dead end trail on where it came from. But I felt compelled to paint it. It's also one of my earliest works. If anyone knows the photographer on this one, I'd be glad to know as well.
October 12, 2022
Although I have to say as well, that this painting, like so many of mine, is derived from quite a few hours of collecting the most interesting and striking photography from the internet, winnowing through them, looking at them for a long time, and making decisions on what to paint from them. Many I take only an element from, or the basic idea from, but this one is almost exactly like the photograph, except there were other people in the distance shopping. It was a wise decision to take them all out in order to create the mood I saw in this man's stance.
What's also unusual about this, is that I normally find the photographer and get permission to paint their photograph. In this case, I could never find that person. It seemed to have a dead end trail on where it came from. But I felt compelled to paint it. It's also one of my earliest works. If anyone knows the photographer on this one, I'd be glad to know as well.
October 12, 2022
John, you hit this one exactly. Love your review, thank you! It's also one of my family's favorite works.
- Category
- Figurative, Everyday Life
- Type
- Painting - Framed
- Materials
- Oil, Canvas
- Dimensions
-
22.00 inches wide
32.00 inches tall
1.00 inches deep - Weight
- 7.00 lbs
- Location
- Randolph, WI, US
