Untitled (Still Life) by Tony Scherman

Provenance:
The Sable-Castelli Gallery Limited, Toronto
Private Collection, Toronto

When examining Tony Scherman’s body of work we see that he works in series. Aside from portraiture, Scherman also explored the tradition of still life painting and began working with encaustic to better understand this tradition. When one thinks of still life painting and its practitioners, the artworks of the Dutch and Flemish painters of the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries come to mind - the super realist compositions where each object is selected for its symbolism or iconography. In “Untitled (Still Life)”, Scherman has updated the tradition with quick, loose brushstrokes and bright colours which add a richness to the composition. He further innovates with his use of oil and encaustic, giving the work a contemporary edge. Scherman thoughtfully arranges fruits and vegetables, creating a balanced, yet riotous composition set against a dramatically dark background.