Isabel Diaz (b. 1943) - Flow State

Lot description

Flow State signed (lower right) dated 2021 oil on canvas 48" x 48" (122 cm x 122 cm) PROVENANCE: Galleria Duemilla, Inc Celebrated for her expressive and magnificent depiction of floras, New York-based artist Isabel Diaz manages to translate the delicate flowers into a minimalist and poignant work, made even more impressive by the sheer size of the canvas she often uses. "Her distinct ability to observe life's complexity with unobstructed clarity is reflected in the simultaneous depth and simplicity of her work," says her brief artist biography on her website. Indeed, like many of her works, her 1976 Flow State captures life’s sublime beauty and her fleeting charms. With a closeup look at these various flowers, plucked separately but arranged tightly as though a menagerie of bouquets were packed randomly together, this multi-layered piece evokes the vibrancy and brevity of life, the still-blooming flowers a tangible reminder of the sands of time slipping through, delicate and fragile but still lovely. Private in life and career, Diaz is famously tight-lipped about the meanings of her works, telling Philippine Tattler, "When I paint a flower, it's just a flower. It's not like what people say about O'Keeffe. When she painted them, they say it symbolized something else." However, the vivacity he paints these still-life paintings allows for a deeply personal interpretation of the piece, evoking a unique emotional response from one viewer to another. (Hannah Valiente)