Sara Anstis's Pastel Exhibition Explores Mythology And Renaissance Influence

(MENAFN- USA Art News) Artist Sara Anstis is presenting“Pastels,” a solo exhibition at Olney Gleason in New York City, featuring small-scale drawings that blend mythological themes, dreamscapes, and art historical references. Her recent works, which include pieces like“Ermine” (2026), pastel on paper, 13 3/8 x 18 1/8 inches, and“The Painter” (2026), pastel on paper, 9 7/8 x 8 1/4 inches, display a shift to muted, autumnal tones, departing from her earlier vibrant palettes. The exhibition is on view through October 24.

Anstis incorporates medieval and early Renaissance art traditions into her compositions, drawing inspiration from artists such as Fra Angelico and Hans Memling. For example,“The Horse Rider” (2026), pastel on paper, 11 1/8 x 8 7/8 inches, features figures with stoic, three-quarter profiles reminiscent of 15th-century works.“The Painter” nods to the practice of depicting saints at the feet of holy figures, reimagining it with women reverently observing a female artist and a powerful drawing of a woman's form. Another recurring motif, the ermine, references Leonardo da Vinci's“Lady with an Ermine.” Anstis uses these tributes to honor women with diverse talents, including motherhood, a theme also influenced by Paula Modersohn-Becker's 1906 painting“Self-Portrait at 6th Wedding Anniversary.”

The artist employs soft pastels to create compositions that reflect the indistinct nature of dreams and folk stories.“Three heads in a bed” (2025), pastel on paper, 4 1/4 x 5 5/8 inches, evokes the nursery rhyme“Ten in the Bed.” Anstis explores mythology and subjectivity, placing figures and symbolic objects within surreal environments. Some pieces, like“The Milkman” (2026), pastel on paper, 10 5/8 x 9 inches, which shows two disembodied arms holding a small dog around a woman's shoulders, lean into enigmatic narratives. Others, such as“Lachrymatories” (2025), pastel on paper, 8 1/8 x 6 1/4 inches, featuring a pensive woman near tiny vials, draw on ancient symbolism, referencing vessels once believed to collect mourners' tears. Additional works in the exhibition include“Library” (2026), pastel on paper, 12 3/4 x 10 3/8 inches, and“Tent” (2025), pastel on paper, 8 x 10 1/4 inches.

The gallery noted that Anstis maintains“an intimate sense of touch that charges her scenes with introspective intensity” through her use of pastels. The women in her works are deeply connected to their surroundings, both emotionally and physically, whether riding horses, reading, or painting. The artist also embraces the absurd and the slightly cartoonish, tapping into the allure of irrationality in dreams and imagination, suggesting an underlying ritual or observance in each scene.

Source: This Is Colossal

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