“Still wonderful, isn’t it? And no dialogue. We didn’t need dialogue. We had faces!”--Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson), “Sunset Boulevard”
“Still wonderful, isn’t it? And no dialogue. We didn’t need dialogue. We had faces!”--Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson), “Sunset Boulevard”
In Sunset Boulevard, Norma Desmond reminds us of the power of faces to enchant, to tell stories, to seduce. She was, of course, looking to the past. And she was ultimately moved to madness by her obsession. Yet she had something, that’s undeniable even today. What is it about faces? No doubt, there’s something of ego here. Who can resist the allure of the mirror, that reflection in the glass? What is it we hope to see? Some sense of promise? Confirmation of our hopes? There are questions, and doubts. There are secrets. We give in, we look. It is our nature to do so, no?
"Study in Sfumato" (Self-Portrait), Oil on Canvas, 19 1/4 x 22 1/4, 2014
"Portrait in Noir (An Impression of Mary Astor in 'The Maltese Falcon')," Oil on Canvas, 21 x 35 inches, 2007
"Stone Woman," Oil on Canvas Board, 10 3/4 x 15 inches, 1991
"Tessellated Nefertiti," Oil on Canvas, 21 x 35 inches, 2014
"Try to Beat the Devil," Oil on Canvas, 18 x 30 inches, 2013
"Matari," Oil on Canvas, 16 x 20 inches, 2007
"Man in Hat," Oil on Canvas, 12 x 16 inches, 2011
"Nora," Oil on Canvas, 24 x 24 inches, 2010