Browse Record
Images
Metadata
Catalog Number |
2003.13 |
Title |
Sunflower Fields |
Artist |
Fitzgerald, Barnaby John Francis |
Date |
1989 |
Medium |
Tempera Paint/Wood |
Dimensions |
H-12 W-19.75 inches |
Accession number |
2003.13 |
Description |
Fitzgerald's works, such as "Sunflower Fields", invoke a style reminiscent of 19th to early 20th century European figure and landscape painting, and have been described as "meditations of the visual imagination within the confluence of present observation and the richness of the visual and the ekphrastic (a work of art based on another work of art) traditions of representations". Barnaby John Francis Fitzgerald (1953) has built a reputation for his otherworldly landscapes and interior scenes, which contemplate themes from literature, mythology, and art history. Drawing on the tradition of Surrealism, he offers imaginative reinterpretations of classical allegories in his own unique, contemporary language. These compositions are populated by a captivating cast of characters, such as grisaille sculptural studies, skeletons, and individuals from his own life. Fitzgerald is also known for his mastery of the egg tempera technique, a medium he was initially drawn to for its luminosity and its association with late medieval paintings. A beloved professor of art at SMU since 1984, Fitzgerald was bestowed with the title of professor emeritus of art upon his retirement in 2023. |
Caption |
Sunflower Fields |
Culture |
American |
Collection |
TMA |
Cataloged by |
Smith, Jane |
Credit Line |
The Barrett Collection, gift of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston |
Source |
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston |