2002
oil on canvas 23” x 30”
$2300 +GST

The title of this painting takes after Edouard Manet’s painting by the same name, which was rejected by the Paris Salon of 1863. It was subsequently panned by the critics of the ‘show of the rejects’ (Salon des Refusés) because the image of the group of picnicers was not idealized. This contemporary view of life was a scandal in its time. I am always looking for the human condition and this moment in my painting, a picnic in the park, depicts a couple (my parents) who have been together for over 60 years. I wanted this painting to capture a contemporary, special moment. Manet’s naked woman stares out of the canvas, like my parents to the viewer. The story of a life is depicted with many everyday symbols.