(American, born 1959)
Infinity, 1994
oil on canvas, 48 x 50 inches
Artwork courtesy of the Artist
Lorraine Peltz uses the color pink for its strong personal and cultural connotations. In her paintings, she often infuses the pale hue with allusions to the human body as well as to all things feminine. Pink forms the backdrop of a personal narrative in Infinity. Positioned in the center of this vivid field an ordinary steam iron becomes a potent symbol for personal labor. Its twisted electrical cord, loosely arranged into the mathematical symbol for infinity, underscores the relentless toil of daily life, while a row of seven lipsticks – one for each day of the week – further defines the regimen of a modern working woman. Infinity is an autobiography of sorts painted by a woman whose identity is a delicate balance of artist, teacher, and mother. Through her subtle handling, Peltz lends this personal story a universal appeal, relevant to anyone facing the seemingly endless demands of contemporary life.
My process still begins with the object, the meaning of the object, and the possibility of the object, and moves from how that object can give off certain kinds of information, carrying with it its baggage. I think that it’s really exciting for an audience to recognize something, to name something, to know something, and that’s a point of entrance into the work.
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