All I Need, 2011, oil on linen, 14” x 20”

Allegra LaViola Gallery in New York presents Sarah Kurz: Made For Love. In her first solo exhibition, Sarah Kurz turns her attention to a traditional subject: the portrait. Much as John Singer Sargent painted beautiful women and scenery of his day while exploring the ability of paint to convey light and texture, Kurz also chooses these as her focus. The women of Kurz’s paintings are a combination of myth and reality—they close their eyes to us and seem to dream of someone else, or gaze into a distance beyond our field of vision. When they do confront us, as in Tight Fit, their look reveals only more mystery. Sarah Kurz: Made For Love is on view until March 11.