Cow NocturneMark MulfingerU.S.A., b. 1962It is not surprising that Mark Mulfinger feels particular affinity for the work of Gauguin and Van Gogh (the Odd Couple in their brief Arlesian housemate period). Their juxtaposed, unblended brushstrokes of pure colora general characteristic of Post-Impressionism, whether programmatically Pointillist, Divisionist, or notare the ultimate technical and expressive precedent for Mulfinger's historical-minded preoccupation with style. He says he especially likes the juxtaposition of what he calls not complementary but analogous colors: reds, pinks, and purples against each other, for example. In Mulfinger's oil paintings, always on a grand scale, the strokes of color are somewhat blended but still on the whole are individually visible. Often the underpainting ground shows through to tone down the brightness of the surface rendering. His preferred subjects are probably domestic interiors; followed by pictures of utilitarian manmade objectssuch as a VW Bug, a sink, and an electric mixer; and finally, portraits. In Mulfinger's handling, these are all equally compelling as figurative imagery rendered in a consistent, split-color style. Cow Nocturne brings to mind the famous Young Bull by Paulus Potter (Dutch, 1625-54) in the collection of the Mauritshuis in The Hague, Holland. Mulfinger sees the created world as offering so much that is unexpectedyet in wonderful formwhich a given human being (e.g., himself) could never have conceived of, that there is never any shortage of subjects to be painted. He is unconcerned with what painting can improvisationally drum up on the canvas, and instead is dedicated to the real world of objects, which he finds infinitely more intriguing than the abstract world of mid- to late-20th-century painting. He says that as he works, the actual application of the paint, against the drawn notion of what he is after, yields a sort of mental grid that he is fascinated to work upon. Mulfinger stresses the spiritual content of his work. He sees even mundane technological objects as reflections of the beauty of the creation. They have formal beauty relayed by the speed of light, and obey all of that creation's laws. An artist happens upon an objectas humble as a dirty sink, and such objects are all around oneand may not realize what a marvel it is until he executes a painted image of it. |
![]() Cow Nocturne Oil on wood 48.125"w x 78.25"h Mark Mulfinger ![]() Late Afternoon Still Life Oil on wood 60.25"w x 48.125"h Mark Mulfinger | |
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April 8, 1997 | ||
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