Venus of Broome Street 1990

Frank Mason painted Venus of Broome Street in 1990, I imagine with oils, given the luscious, luminous feel of the surface. Look at the way the dark ground seems to glow, especially behind Venus’ back. See how the marks are scrubbed and dragged to create these subtle shifts in tone. I love how Mason is unafraid to leave traces of the making; the process is right there on the surface. And the handling of the red cloth she’s sitting on, almost like a thrown blanket, feels so spontaneous and expressive. The tension between the classical subject matter, Venus, and the loose, modern application of paint is really compelling. It reminds me of Titian, but with a downtown New York twist. For me, this piece feels like a reminder that art is always in conversation with the past, reinterpreting and reinventing itself.