RICHARD PRINCE (b. 1949) A NURSE INVOLVED si

Provenance
Barbara Gladstone Gallery, NEW YORK

Exhibited
NEW YORK, Barbara Gladstone Gallery, RICHARD PRINCE: NURSE PAINTINGS, September 20-October 25, 2003

As with most of the series of works that constitute his prodigious oeuvre, Richard Prince's Nurse paintings, continue to expound upon the concepts of authenticity, authorship and identity. For this group of works, he has appropriated the imagery from pulp novels published during the middle of the last century.

In the present lot, A NURSE INVOLVED, layer upon layer of warm toned hues have been painted around the seductive blonde female nurse. Broad gestural brushstrokes have been applied to construct the obfuscated background. The title text emerges from the befogged background with an eerie spectral presence hovering above the figure's head.

Within the figure of the nurse, areas where he has intentionally allowed paint to drip, are distinctly visible. Could Prince's combination of these drips and broad sweeping brush stokes be a way to link the pulp novel imagery to the abstract expressionist movement? Being an avid bibliophile, with a knowledge of art history and a sharp wit, this speculation may not be too far removed from the truth.

Aside from the intense visual presence, Prince has imbued this work with a redoubtable psychological presence. The intense color scheme and ominous dramatic lighting of the nurse lead one to believe that there is something more menacing and macabre lurking beneath her façade, a would-be purveyor of "tender, loving care."