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Tatiana

by Katherine Gordon Rice

Oil on acrylic prepared canvas
Dimensions: 42 x 34 x .25
Received from the Kirkpatrick Galleries, 2004

Tatiana by Katherine Gordon Rice

The Artwork

Tatiana was named in honor of Katherine Gordon Rice's former instructor Victor Koshkin-Youritzin's mother. The painting is based on a photograph by Wendell MacRae from the 1930s. In the lower left corner, the subject of this photograph, Tatiana Koshkin-Youritzin, is seen applying her make up prior to a performance at Radio City Music Hall.

The artist has used a composition in which the ballerinas are arranged in a near triangular formation. This provides balance in the painting, and the light renderings of flesh-tones and pink garments contrast greatly with the darker background. The artist helps guide the viewer's attention to the ballerinas by the placement of the incandescent bulbs which form a horizontal line across the dressing room mirrors.

The Artist

Katherine Gordon Rice painted and studied art with many teaching artists including Diane Jones, Nick Kyle, Tasso Pitsiri, Scott Christensen, and William Wallo. Gordon is a member of the National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, D.C. She is a founding member of the Norman Association of Fine Artists. She has exhibited work consistently since 1985. She is the author of the textbook “ The Mechanics of Art.”