Catherine Murphy's Radical Realism: Bridging Observation and Abstraction
In a review for Hyperallergic, critic John Yau discusses the work of painter Catherine Murphy, who launched her career with her participation in the 1972 Whitney Museum Annual Exhibition. Yau first saw her art in 1980 at the Xavier Fourcade gallery. Known as an "observational painter," Murphy transitioned from depicting reality to creating scenes inspired by dreams and memories, drawing influence from artists such as Alex Katz while distancing herself from Abstract Expressionism. Yau emphasizes the intricate structure of her paintings and her goal to merge modernist styles with one-point perspective. By engaging with themes from the Renaissance and collaborating with contemporaries like Lois Dodd and Robert Mangold, Murphy transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary, exploring concepts of time, mortality, and solitude.
Key facts
- Catherine Murphy's work was first seen by the author at Xavier Fourcade gallery in Manhattan in 1980.
- Murphy's paintings were included in the 1972 Annual Exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art.
- Murphy describes herself as an 'observational painter' but later incorporated dreams and memory into her work.
- She broke with the realist convention of working on a one-to-one scale.
- Murphy was influenced by Alex Katz and wanted to make large paintings that could stand next to Abstract Expressionists.
- The author wrote the only monograph on Murphy's paintings and drawings.
- Murphy's work engages with Renaissance painters and classical subjects, as well as with Lois Dodd and Robert Mangold.
- Murphy rejected postmodern strategies like parody, citation, and irony, instead using modernist devices like the grid.
Entities
Artists
Institutions
- Xavier Fourcade gallery
- Whitney Museum of American Art
Locations
- Poughkeepsie
- Manhattan
- New York