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by Amber Lia-Kloppel
oil on linen
48” x 34” x 1.5”
“Susanna Unbound is my most recent painting and is intended to depict strength and beauty. It’s not only born out of my Susanna Series, but also out of several years that were extremely difficult for me. Diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer in 2021, I had a radical mastectomy and reconstructive surgery, and I went on to make a small series of paintings exploring the experience. While these paintings were important to make, they were also painful to make. Returning to my Susanna Series with Susanna Unbound, more than ever, I wanted my model Cynthia (who was a councilwoman for many years in Ithaca, NY), to feel as if she was TAKING SPACE, and furthermore, moving forward, into the viewer's space... Somehow this expansion felt life-affirming and powerful.”
-Amber Lia-Kloppel
Artist's Statement
I paint mostly figurative compositions and portraits, and my work is grounded in American and Dutch traditions of genre painting. My major influences range from Johannes Vermeer to Edward Hopper to Alice Neel, and while there is a tendency towards voyeurism in my work, it is countered by an element of confrontation.
For the past several years I’ve been working on what I call my “Susanna Series”. It references Susanna and the Elders from the Old Testament and is a departure from my earlier work. In various depictions of this parable (from the Renaissance and Baroque periods) the viewer is grouped with the elders as they spy on Susanna while she bathes. After having made several paintings of women in domestic interiors, oblivious of the viewer, I wanted my model to appear aware of being seen. In my Susanna Series, the spaces are intended to feel staged, and the women pictured stare back.
by Amber Lia-Kloppel
oil on linen
48” x 34” x 1.5”
“Susanna Unbound is my most recent painting and is intended to depict strength and beauty. It’s not only born out of my Susanna Series, but also out of several years that were extremely difficult for me. Diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer in 2021, I had a radical mastectomy and reconstructive surgery, and I went on to make a small series of paintings exploring the experience. While these paintings were important to make, they were also painful to make. Returning to my Susanna Series with Susanna Unbound, more than ever, I wanted my model Cynthia (who was a councilwoman for many years in Ithaca, NY), to feel as if she was TAKING SPACE, and furthermore, moving forward, into the viewer's space... Somehow this expansion felt life-affirming and powerful.”
-Amber Lia-Kloppel
Artist's Statement
I paint mostly figurative compositions and portraits, and my work is grounded in American and Dutch traditions of genre painting. My major influences range from Johannes Vermeer to Edward Hopper to Alice Neel, and while there is a tendency towards voyeurism in my work, it is countered by an element of confrontation.
For the past several years I’ve been working on what I call my “Susanna Series”. It references Susanna and the Elders from the Old Testament and is a departure from my earlier work. In various depictions of this parable (from the Renaissance and Baroque periods) the viewer is grouped with the elders as they spy on Susanna while she bathes. After having made several paintings of women in domestic interiors, oblivious of the viewer, I wanted my model to appear aware of being seen. In my Susanna Series, the spaces are intended to feel staged, and the women pictured stare back.