Madison Kelley

A Study in Provenance

From up close, the paint strokes came out as individual colors and shapes, each with its own deliberate intent. Taking a few steps back, Byron Mar’s unwavering gaze could nearly startle a viewer. His intensity in real life matched how his painterly circles often found him, scribbling, arguing, becoming consumed by any one of the artists and intellectuals around him. Funny how perception plays in a piece like this, all those actions taken years ago creating a sort of portal for the present to look through. A screaming child interrupted Andi’s conference with the artist’s self-portrait. She whipped her head around to see the child and relief- it was just Lucius. He made a face as he approached her on the unwelcoming museum bench to face Mar’s self portrait.