Polyester Pinch

January 24, 2022

Size (h w d): 40 x 30 x 1.5 in
Medium: Oil On Canvas
Status: Available
Price: $3900

In America, the 1970s were an era of extreme decadence where the boundaries of fashion, music, sex, dancing, and drugs were being pushed to their limitations. Studio 54 was a short-lived representation of the excess during that time period.

"For this piece," explains Madison, "I used a reference photo of Olivia Newton-John taken during the Grease release party at Studio 54. After a lot of consideration, I felt that painting any sort of background would distract from the subject. Additionally, the strong visual contrast between the white background and the subject is reminiscent of how we experience a memory or flashback, where only a piece of the entire image remains accessible to our conscious minds."

Madison's painting evokes the sexiness and sheen of a movie star in the late 70's, but because of the stark white background, it could just as easily be a young woman today who has stylized her clothing to evoke a retro image.