Barca's Self-Portrait on Display at
The Heckscher
Julianna Barca's thought-provoking self-portrait is on display at the Heckscher Museum of Art and is drawing rave reviews. The Huntington High School junior's pencil and cut paper mixed media artwork was selected for inclusion in this year's Long Island's Best Young Artists exhibition, which runs through April 21.
The teenager has studied under Huntington art teacher Kristin Singer. Her piece at the Heckscher is one of just 80 chosen out of nearly 300 works of art submitted for judging for the 2013 LI Best show, which drew entries from 49 public and private high schools.
The inspiration for Ms. Barca's artwork came from Thomas Anshutz' Portrait of Rebecca Whelan, a 1910 oil on canvas from the Heckscher's Mirrored Images: Realism in the 19th and 20th Centuries exhibition.
"Portrait of Rebecca Whelan immediately captured my attention," Ms. Barca said in her artist's statement. "I liked the intensity of her eyes, the mysterious vacancy of the setting, and the elaborate design of her dress. Anshutz himself described a successful portrait as having a 'mental temperament manifest in the features.' This inspired me to create a self-portrait expressing an equally contemplative figure with a stark background. There is a common pensive, thoughtful gaze in the eyes. More than just emotion was pulled from Anshutz's piece, however, the bold red and intricate floral pattern of the dress is reflected in my paper-cut application. The visual and emotional connection between the two figures creates a bridge between time, culture and age."