Marcia Haufrecht’s Shadows & Substance

Shadows & Substance brings together and contrasts two essential modes of Marcia Haufrecht’s painting: shadows, explorations of the abstract qualities of shadows as they merge with their surroundings—a swimming pool, a sandy beach, or a grassy lawn—hinting at the mysterious identities of their subjects and substance, realistic representations of the people whom she has observed in the subway, at lakes and parks, and on beaches. Together, Haufrecht’s two modes of painting present a revealing portrait of modern life—while some of the painting’s subjects are engrossed in electronic devices, relaxing outdoors, and conversing with friends, others convey loneliness and alienation.

While her substance works fall into the Realist tradition of American painting harking back to Robert Henri’s early twentieth century Ashcan School, her shadows works recall a fascination with “the dark” shared by Caravaggio, Rembrandt, Goya, Umpo, and Kara Walker.

Loosely based on her photographs, taken with a point-and-shoot camera, this collection of paintings, through their muted color palette, airy brushstrokes, and soft lines, offers entrance into Haufrecht’s perception of reality. For this actor-turned-painter, painting is an intimate exploration that manifests her belief that “all the arts are…means of communicating with the world at large.”