The Swan

Posted on by The Wandering Art Historian

If you have been following this blog for a while, you know that I am a huge fan of non-traditional gallery spaces.  Central Florida seems to specialize in them and one of my favorites is The Alfond Inn in Winter Park, FL.  The Alfond Inn is a boutique hotel that is an extension of Rollins College and features an impressive contemporary art collection.  They frequently offer free art tours and this past Sunday I participated in my second tour of the collection.  I highly recommend taking the art tour at least once per year because the collection is so extensive (approximately 400 pieces) that artworks are regularly rotated throughout the space and swapped with pieces not currently on display.  Needless to say, the visitor will always see something new.

On my most recent visit, I became captivated by the painting attached to this post.  Titled “The Swan (After Norman Parkinson Foundation)” and painted by Paulina Olowska, I am thoroughly mesmerized by this piece from 2017.  Olowska creates epic portraits of women who are mysterious and seemingly at the height of fashion.  In fact, the artist herself believes that fashion plays a key role in the art world and likes to explore those theories in her work.  I think what I love most about this piece is that the artist does not provide a background story for this woman.  Olowska relies on us – the viewer – to tell this woman’s story and I am more than happy to oblige.

For more information on artist Paulina Olowska, please visit… https://www.metropictures.com/artists/paulina-olowska

For more information on The Alfond Inn, please visit… https://thealfondinn.com/

 

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I am writer and artist with a degree in art history who loves to talk to people about art. I have spent the last seven years building up The Wandering Art Historian “brand” as a way to connect with people who want to learn more about art. I give lectures and presentations and teach classes and host book club discussions with a creative or artistic connection. I also write about local artists, events, museums, and exhibitions to promote the arts in Central Florida. In 2021, I had a creative crisis. I struggled with authenticity in the art making process. I decided to make myself vulnerable and find out what a real, genuine Adrienne H. Lee artwork would look like. The process was challenging and emotional and revelatory. I learned that if necessity is the mother of invention, then authenticity is the mother of reinvention. I reinvented myself and learned an entirely new medium. The resulting artwork surprised me, and it will surprise you, too. Some people wish for a fairytale ending. For me, the fairy tale is only the beginning.