In Stephen O'Donnell's lush, droll, gender-bending paintings, the stories are often ambiguous. They lie just beyond the frame, through an open doorway, in a sealed letter on the floor, in the glint of a penetrating eye.
"The story always is there, in all the subconscious intent of the work. But because I leave the questions unanswered, because I refuse to set words to the visual music, I believe it allows the viewer to discover their own story in each painting."
Through the words of a curated group of talented writers, The Untold Gaze will give voice to the rich stories inherent in O'Donnell's work. Each writer will choose a painting and, with no more prompt than that image, will create a piece of original short fiction that marries the unique perspective of the writer with the unique perspective of the artist.
In his selection of forty paintings, O'Donnell gives us audacious self-portraits in elaborate eighteenth century coiffures, mythical goddesses in 1940s frocks, biblical beheadings, opulent interiors, self-possessed birds and elegantly appointed monkeys. From here, there's no telling where the stories will take us. This project will explore the communication between the painting and the viewer and will highlight the endless possibilities of perspective and art.
***
Below are
the paintings that will be included in the book. All of these image files
are quite large - the page may take a bit to load, actually - so
feel free to click on the image, then right click and select "view
image" to see full size. But then you probably already knew that,
didn't you...? : )
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| C'est mon chapeau - acrylic on panel - 24x18 - 2013 |
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| Dans la pièce d'après - acrylic on panel - 30 x 24 - 2014 |
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| Infanta - acrylic on panel - 30x24 - 2014 |
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| Judith et Holopherne - acrylic on panel - 36x24 - 2010 |
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| L'Expérience - acrylic on panel - 12x12 - 2012 |
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| L'Innocence - acrylic on panel - 12x12 - 2012 |
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| L'Équilibre - acrylic on panel - 24x18 - 2012 |
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| La Coiffure interrompue - acrylic on panel - 20x16 - 2010 |
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| La Légèreté délicieuse de la grandeur - acrylic on panel - 24x18 - 2012 |
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| La Passagère - acrylic on panel - 24x18 - 2011 |
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| La Pesanteur du luxe - acrylic on panel - 12x12 - 2012 |
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| La Rencontre au jardin - acrylic on panel - 18x14 - 2008 |
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| Le Fumeur - acrylic on panel - 14x22 - 2002-11 |
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| Le Miroir - acrylic on panel - 36x24 - 2012 |
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| Le Monocle - acrylic on panel - 16x12 - 2012 |
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| Le Colérique - from Les Humeurs - acrylic on panel - 10x8 - 2009 |
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| Le Mélancolique - from Les Humeurs - acrylic on panel - 10x8 - 2009 |
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| Le Sanguin - from Les Humeurs - acrylic on panel - 10x8 - 2009 |
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| Le Flegmatique - from Les Humeurs - acrylic on panel - 10x8 - 2009 |
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| Adam - after Durer - acrylic on panel - 30x18 - 2013 |
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| Le Petit gris - acrylic on panel - 36x24 - 2012 |
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| Le Pince-nez - acrylic on panel - 12x12 - 2013 |
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| Le Repos - acrylic on panel - 18x14 - 2010 |
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| Le Vermillon - acrylic on panel - 12x12 - 2013 |
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| Le Voile - acrylic on panel - 24x18 - 2012 |
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| Les Amis, les amants - acrylic on panel - 36 x 24 - 2014 |
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| Allegory of the Artist - acrylic on panel - 20x17 - 2001-10 |
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| Les Deux - acrylic on panel - 24x18 - 2009 |
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| Les Lunettes - acrylic on panel - 24x24 - 2012 |
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| Les Perruches - acrylic on panel - 30x24 - 2012 |
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| Monsieur le prince - acrylic on panel - 12x12 - 2009 |
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| Plus féroce que ce qu'on pourrait croire - acrylic on panel - 20x16 - 2010 |
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| Stephilius Rex - roi des bêtes - acrylic on panel - 12x18 - 2006 |
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| The Judgement of Paris - Hera - acrylic on panel - 24x24 - 2014 |
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| The Judgement of Paris - Aphrodite - acrylic on panel - 24x24 - 2014 |
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| The Judgement of Paris - Athena - acrylic on panel - 24x24 - 2014 |
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| Un regard oblique - acrylic on panel - 20x16 - 2011 |
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| Une lettre non décachetée - acrylic on panel - 24x18 - 2014 |
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| Une petite pause - acrylic on panel - 24x24 - 2013 |
