Writer Christopher P Jones describes the painting nicely in a recent Medium article: “Few of [Laserstein’s] other paintings achieve the same monumentality and complexity of feeling as this work. She depicts the late afternoon remnants of a luncheon party on a roof terrace in Potsdam, a town near to Berlin. It is a virtuoso painting of youthful pathos and shared disquiet, with its cast of five characters (and a sleepy dog) positioned across a seven foot canvas in various poses of naturalistic languor. Behind is the city, beautifully depicted in muted brown and yellow tones, with church spires pricking the skyline.”
Us viewers are left wondering what has happened in this group of friends. Has some unhappiness struck the woman at center and now it’s radiating throughout the rest of the group?
#lottelaserstein #eveningoverpotsdam #friends #oilpainting #arthistory #narrativepainting
