Alan Feltus (b. 1943)

ALAN FELTUS (b. 1943)
One Afternoon in Tuscany, 1986
Acrylic on canvas, 70 x 48 in.
Signed, dated, and inscribed (at lower right): Alan Feltus 1986; (on stretcher brace, on the back): [notes about acrylic medium] / begun 10/22/86 / “One Afternoon /in Tuscany” / 1986 / 70 x 48 in. / Alan Feltus

EX COLL.: private collection, Washington, D.C.

Feltus's paintings––usually featuring dark-haired, statuesque females with almond-shaped eyes––derive from his imagination and his knowledge of Western art, as well as his desire to express a tranquil mood. Such is the case with One Afternoon in Tuscany, in which Feltus portrays two women posing in a room filled with casually dispersed memorabilia, including letters, envelopes, and pieces of paper––props often used by Feltus to denote a soundless mode of communication.

Amidst this intimate environment––a studio or domestic setting not unlike a theater set––the viewer focuses first and foremost on the body language of the carefully choreographed figures: although they stand side-by-side, their shoulders slightly touching, they are emotionally detached from one another. The down-turned mouths of the women are typical of Feltus’s portraits, as is their simple garb and stylized shapes––both of which complement the formal geometry of their surroundings, with its hard-edged interlocking shapes. (Feltus’s use of the turban also harks back to Uccello.) In keeping with his pared-down realist style, Feltus portrays the scene with controlled brushwork that, along with his lively interplay of spatial relationships, his palette of warm and cool hues, and his nuanced luminosity, contributes to the otherworldly quality of the image, enhancing its hushed cadence. 

Although the visual references allude to Feltus’s veneration for the classical tradition and Old Master art, and the title itself serves as a connection to his current abode, it is the implied tension between the figures that serve as the real subject of One Afternoon in Tuscany. Any interpretation relative to the curious, impersonal relationship between the women is ultimately left up to the observer.