Richard Foster Yarde

In a painting brimming with fields of color, Richard Yarde works in a number of patterns that repeat throughout. We look into a room from a top-down perspective-an open view that mirrors the arms-spread pose of the young girl. We see her in the room, but also glimpse how she might feel standing in that parlor. Using vibrant color and exuberant pattern, Yard captures the feeling of being present in a space.

Richard Yarde, professor of art at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, was brought up in an artistic setting. He was very influenced by the work of his brother, Edgar, and his godfather, Amos Gibson, whose hand-colored photographs impressed Yarde as a child. In addition, he acknowledges the work of William Blake, Paul Gauguin, and Walter Murch, his professor at Boston University, as sources for inspiration in his work. Later, his artistic vocabulary expanded to include explorations in African, Asian, and Indian art.

Parlor II is based on childhood memories of warmth and safety amid his family. In his characteristic style, Yarde applies the watercolor in thin, transparent layers, slowly building up the image. Geometric shapes and loosely painted abstract patterns of bright color describe the floor, furniture, curtains, and flowers. The isolated figure of the young girl within this domestic interior contains collage elements.