Madonna by Kathryn Engberg, 20″ x 16″, oil on linen, 2024

“Madonna”, along with a stunning collection of paintings and sculptures by today’s leading classical realist artists will be on view at “Face To Face”: Realist Portraiture of the Twenty-First Century. Curated by Michael Fetherston, the exhibit will be open from April 1 through May 31 at NYC’s Salmagundi Club’s Smith Library Gallery.

Opening reception April 11, 6 to 8 PM. RSVP required, click here.

The first in a series of blog posts previewing works that will be on view:

A Madonna without a child. Throughout the history of Western classical portrait painting, few subjects have been revisited as often as the Madonna. In this sumptuously rendered image, Maryland based artist Kathryn Engberg has employed old world techniques to depart from the established narrative and presented a figure both childless and triumphant in a solitary pose. “The worth of a woman has always been attached to motherhood which is inherently tethered to self-sacrifice – this work offers an alternative to challenge this assumption.” states Engberg. “Portraiture serves as a powerful conduit for conveying the visceral experience of life and its emotional intricacies.” The reimagined composition audaciously questions two thousand years of tradition while the delicate color palette is reminiscent of high Renaissance beauty.

-Michael Fetherston, Curator