Lauren Neher
The first painting I came across at the Art Institute of Chicago was Ivan Albright’s Picture of Dorian Grey from 1943-44. Located in the American Art gallery, this seven foot tall oil on canvas portrait is a bloody, chaotic scene created for the 1945 film adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s novel, The Picture of Dorian Grey. The painting portrays the novel's title character, Dorian Grey, who commissions a portrait of himself as a young, good-looking man. Later in the film, Grey wishes to maintain an everlasting appearance of youth and beauty. An ancient Egyptian statue of a cat with supposed powers is present when he makes the wish. As the handsome Grey begins to lead a more hedonistic lifestyle, he becomes increasingly vain and evil. His heartless behavior is reflected in the ever changing painting that begins to decay and becomes warped as Grey himself remains beautiful. Albright’s portrait depicts a disturbing, hideous, and demon-like version of Grey. In the film, characters who view the portrait are deeply troubled by Grey’s depiction and its features. Viewing this version of the portrait in person, it’s easy to see why. At first glance, the painting is a mix of muted tones. Up close, the rich colors draw attention to features including Grey’s bloodied hands, rotten skin, and late 19th century suit. Grey’s bulging eyes are enclosed by an aged face. His disfigured body stands at the very center of the painting, surrounded by a table, chairs, a clock, and floral fabric upon the floor. A statue of an Egyptian cat sits on the table to the left of Grey, the same statue whose powers granted Grey’s wish to stay youthful. These objects in the painting, including Grey, are finely detailed while the background is a variety of colors blotched together to create a muted grey-violet tone. There is a very purposeful meaning behind this piece, as it was commissioned for a film to tell a story. Albright’s incorporation of objects such as the clock hanging from the wall convey Grey’s internal destruction and moral decay while remaining ageless over time. The cat statue placed next to Grey is a reminder of the magical source that allowed Grey to remain youthful. The blood dripping off Grey’s hands allude to the murder and death caused by Grey’s immorality throughout his life.
The next painting of Albright’s I viewed was to the right of Picture of Dorian Grey, his ten year masterpiece, That Which I Should Have Done I Did Not Do (The Door). This piece, from 1931/1941, stands at eight feet tall. Albright considered this oil on canvas his most important work. The piece is composed of a grand, curved Victorian door taking up the majority of space with an aged, feminine hand clasped against the frame. A faded, half decayed wreath hangs at the center of the door consisting of roses, magnolias, and a pink bow on the left side of the arrangement. According to the Art Institute of Chicago’s website, Albright spent several weeks collecting these props; the door from a junkyard, the funeral wreath, and a tombstone for the doorsill. Albright began painting a quarter of a square inch of canvas per day upon completing a charcoal underdrawing. Typical to other works of Albright’s, rich and intricate detail is used to portray a dark and realistic representation of the image. The wrinkled hand, scratched door, and the tiny details of lace found in the handkerchief are just a few examples that showcase the detail and complexity of Albright’s paintings. Similar to Picture of Dorian Grey, the colors in this piece are muted and cool with a grey-violet tone. The color choice creates a sense of time passed and the beginning of decomposition. The wreath is depicted as half dead and half alive, Albright uses bright colors that fade into grey to demonstrate this. The direction of the painting is also an indication of death versus life. The lower half depicts the door in a further stage of rot, the wreath is decaying on the bottom while the top is still alive and blossoming, and a tombstone is found on the bottom of the painting in place of a doorsill. The aged hand is placed right in the center of the door frame, as though in between this world and the next.
The final painting of Albright’s I encountered in the American Art gallery was Into the World Came a Soul Called Ida from 1929-30. According to the Art Institute of Chicago, this piece began when 20-year old housewife, Ida Rogers, modeled for Albright in 1929. Although Rogers herself was beautiful, Albright depicts the woman in the painting as slumped, downcast, and middle-aged. The figure sits in her dressing room among worn objects as she gazes upon herself in a handheld mirror while applying powder. A drawer is placed to the right of her containing glassware, a comb, cash, and a flower vase. The version of Ida in the painting is aged and possesses a vulnerability to her. Themes of time passed are demonstrated in this piece, comparable to Picture of Dorian Grey and That Which I Should Have Done I Did Not Do (The Door). Shading is used by Albright to demonstrate the dropping and scarring of Ida’s skin. Pops of color can be seen in various objects throughout the painting including a comb, a vase of flowers, and Ida’s clothing. The tone is cool and colors used in this piece are darker to invoke a feeling of gloom and dreariness.
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