Love This! Paintings Inspired by Film Noir

Last weekend, after years of people telling us we should do so, Ben and I finally started watching Mad Men. Obviously, we were hooked after the first episode or two (just as everyone said we would be), and I have a newfound interest in this time period--when relationships between men & women were SO different, and when many women felt very powerless, isolated, and purpose-less. So, when I came across the work of Dianne Gall, which depicts a very similar time period  in a somewhat different manner, I was intrigued. Gall's work is very inspired by Film Noir, and she says the following about her paintings:

Images in my work often imagine a Utopia waiting just beyond a door, however, there is something not quite right lurking beneath the veneer of tranquility. Pristine interiors, marbled walls and floors, shadows play with the psychological presence of people inhabiting the scenes. The imagined reality of the viewer is sometimes taken to the dark side; however as a frozen image we are left lingering for more clues.

It sounds similar to Mad Men in a way, doesn't it? "Something not quite right lurking beneath the veneer of tranquility?" Anyways, to get an idea of what I'm talking about, you can take a look at some of my favorite works by Gall, below...

So what do you think? Somewhat creepy, but also very interesting and beautifully-painted, right? If you like Gall's work, you can view more on her website, here. You can also check out her blog, "This Small Painting Life," here. 

Oh, and can we get three cheers that times have changed and we women don't have to live such boring, controlled lives anymore? Hooray! Hooray! Hooray!

Namaste,
Mary Catherine