Rêverie 1957

Robert Brackman has built a narrative scene through a collection of carefully placed objects painted with oils. I can imagine him circling around his subject, thinking through the composition. The young woman gazes up and to the left. She looks like the paintings that hang behind her. She looks as if she is waiting, or just bored. The violin, sheet music, flowers, and wine are all present but inactive, just like her. There is a lot to look at in this painting. I am struck by Brackman's subtle shifts in tone. He knew just how to work the background to make the girl's milky skin and the wine bottle stand out. The painting asks us to consider the relationships between art, music, nature, and the human form.