Gladys Nilsson (American, b. 1940) In Vertical Shade, 1984
Watercolor on paper 59 1/2" x 39 3/4"
Nilsson's approach to watercolor was completely new in the 1960s and set her apart from the Sunday painters who traditionally used the medium. Deeply inspired by cartoons and comic books, her compositions are typically jam packed with intricately woven characters that seem to spell out a loose narrative that is based in both humor and repulsion. Filled from edge to edge there is no relief and very little unconsidered space in these cramped paintings, depicting uncomfortably vulgar yet humorously powerful renditions of the human figure.
Nilsson’s painting, In Vertical Shade reveals the ‘human comedy’ consisting of a cast of oversized and mini-sized exaggerated and distorted female characters who try to hide themselves behind masks, to no avail, while busily engaging in whispering and mocking each other.
-Suellen Rocca, Curator
1977 photo of Gladys Nilsson in her studio by Sandra Jorgensen, Elmhurst University Art Collection.