Portrait of Women

Description

In this quietly powerful portrait, Susan Sarner captures a moment of still introspection. A young woman is depicted seated and turned slightly to the side, her gaze distant and inward. The setting is reduced to essential forms—flat color planes in muted white, olive green, and deep indigo—allowing the focus to remain on the figure’s expression and presence.

Executed in gouache and ink, the work balances a subdued emotional tone with careful compositional tension. The patterned green cloth draped over the figure’s lap adds visual texture and rhythm, while the stark white background evokes a contemplative emptiness. The contrast between the softness of the face and the more graphic qualities of the surroundings reflects Sarner’s interest in the boundary between internal and external identity.

Sarner, a Canadian multidisciplinary artist, is known for her deeply personal works that explore memory, emotional resilience, and human complexity. This 1992 portrait is characteristic of her figurative approach—simultaneously intimate and distant, delicate yet bold. As with much of her work, it invites a quiet engagement, drawing viewers into the stillness and psychological space of the sitter.

Sarner’s paintings have been shown in galleries across Canada and are part of several private and public collections. Her art continues to resonate for its capacity to hold mood and meaning in subtle gestures and layered textures.

Condition: Good, minor scratches to metal frame

Vertical
12
Horizontal
12

Depth
1