Maggie Shafran - Fragments

Maggie Shafran demonstrates her technical virtuosity using pencil, charcoal, and thread to construct hyperrealist still-life drawings evocative of 18th century Flemish “flower painting.” Shafran inserts her own narrative into a long tradition of depicting what is not (or no longer) living and cannot move. Also known as “Nature Morte,” still life painting can serve to remind the viewer of their own mortality by dramatically emphasizing flowers, plants, or food amid decay. She emphasizes the paradox of attempting to preserve the ephemeral, as well as discovering divine beauty in the outlandish. 

Click here to view the exhibition catalog