Fret

Jim Nutt

1990

acrylic on linen with stained wood frame

13" x 13"

Nutt approaches each of his portraits by eliciting “a female personage that might have a certain attitude or a certain character.” This type of deep characterization is often expressed through vivid colors and atypical features on the face. In Fret, these visualization techniques, alongside the title, lend insight into the sitter’s psychology. The word fret has several definitions, including one that is associated with the emotional act of worry, of suffering emotional strain. In the painting, one side of the woman’s face is mottled with fleshy tones of red and green as if worry has visually manifested itself on her skin. Her eyebrow above is crinkled and slightly raised, implying a deep state of contemplation.

Credit

Collection of Mark and Judy Bednar