Ekphrasis

When looking at this painting, we are reminded of the famous quote, “Painting is Poetry without words”. Hardly any poem written can better describe the bitter-sweet nature of love than this haunting work.

The pair are clearly lovers, but there is something amiss. The Woman bears an expression of disappointment, even pain, but She allows herself to be consoled by her companion. The painting offers many ambiguities and more questions than answers. What has hurt the woman? Has she lost a loved one? Has her lover cheated on her, and been caught? Will he be leaving her for someone else? Has she betrayed him and has feelings of regret? Love is a complex thing indeed.

In this painting, John Varriano has used colors to great effect in capturing contrasting moods. The reds of the environment are warm, passionate, and sweet, yet the yellow-greens of her blouse reveal hints of bitter acidity. The dark-haired male figure, clad in black, comforts the woman with a kiss but lurking just below the surface is something disturbing.

Varriano knew that to best capture the emotions of the scene, he needed to paint it expressionistically, using bold colors that could convey the feeling far better than a merely realistic depiction.