MASS MoCA

A World Unknown

by Kaylynn Lum

March 11, 2014

     

       I have never seen a painting that seemed so out of this world. It looked like a different planet. The plants, sky, and clouds had a certain mystery to them. But, how does someone make an entire world around an animal?

            Darren Waterston’s Glade (peacock) takes the viewer to a different world. He uses the peacock as an inspiration for his piece. The piece is oil on a wood panel. The background is a fogey pink color. There are grey clouds and what seems to be stars in the sky. The plants look like peacock feathers and are oddly shaped. They look like plants we would have on Earth, but are strange enough to seem as if they don’t belong on this planet. The green/blue color gives away the peacock theme. The painting pulls you into another world. A new mystical world where you can see a pink, star filled sky.

            This piece takes you to a different world using colors and out of this world designs. Waterston takes us to a land of peacocks and stars in the sky. How do we know where we are? Is this earth in another life? What lives there? These are all a few questions that come to mind when seeing this piece. But one thing is for certain, the beauty of the peacock is shown through this piece.