Orpheus and the Furies 1974

Rosemarie Beck’s oil painting, "Orpheus and the Furies" renders this famous mythological scene with vibrant color and gestural brushstrokes. The materiality of paint is crucial here, the way Beck builds up the image with thick, tactile marks. Notice how she does not attempt to hide the labor involved. Each stroke is visible, contributing to a surface alive with energy. This expressionistic approach lends a sense of immediacy to the ancient subject matter. The canvas itself becomes a record of Beck's physical engagement with the act of painting. Beck’s emphasis on process invites a connection between the myth of Orpheus and the act of artistic creation. Like Orpheus, who could move even stones with his music, Beck transforms simple materials into a powerful image. She offers us an opportunity to see the making and unmaking of myths, as if painting were a kind of elemental force.