Staff Pick | Monthly Muse May 2000

I often assist researchers, curators and scholars in finding art works and related records in our collection for upcoming exhibitions, publications and other projects. One of my favorite discoveries is Fat Nude with Chicken Legs by Joan Brown. I love the vibrant colors, the strong brushstrokes and the layers of paint with all their different textures. I get lost in this world when completing a condition report (a record that details the physical condition of a painting). The process draws my attention to details that often go unnoticed — the mesa of purple micro-swirls to the right of her face, the pink impasto (paint applied thickly) of her upper leg that resembles buttercream frosting and, near her left leg, the tiny islands of white canvas peeking through, somehow untouched by all the paint.

Amy Lim
Assistant Director, Registration and Collections Management, Langson IMCA