July 23-October 16
Elizabeth de C. Wilson Museum
Southern Vermont Arts Center
Manchester, Vermont
Tu-Sat 10-5 Sun 12-5 Closed Mon
The Feast of Venus: an Exploration of the Artist’s Process is a door into the mind of the artist at work. The exhibit centers around a large figure painting The Feast of Venus I and includes 37 drawings and 8 oil studies that went into its development. From inspired scribbles to highly finished working drawings, to experiments with composition, this exhibit invites the viewer to walk with the artist along the creative path to a complex piece.
Venus is the mythological goddess traditionally associated with beauty, love, and fertility. A theme of the Baroque period, paintings of The Feast of Venus typically depict a voluptuous goddess surrounded by dozens of frolicking men, women, infants, and the occasional satyr. In Elizabeth Torak’s interpretation Venus is an internal force: not a goddess to be worshiped, but an inner strength to be felt. Her feast is a celebration of women, a consideration of the relationship between women and food, and a meditation on the mystery of creativity.
Image: Feast of Venus I, oil on linen, 60 x 108"
