Vermeer’s Rabbits?
I can’t find a pearl earring on any of Daphne Louter’s many (painted) rabbits. I’ve tried. It seems as though they should be there, at least in part because the artist’s style owes more than a bit to fellow (if deceased) Dutchman Vermeer, but also because nothing seems quite out of place in Louter’s world.
Visual puns are easy enough. What’s challenging is keeping them within the realm of the plausible. A morose-looking fox toting a bag of groceries? Why not? A hummingbird flitting around a coral reef? Sure. While you’re at it, why not just have a woman applying icing to a toad… Okay, I’ll provisionally take the plausibility part back. But it’s part of the charm of Louter’s work that these things actually make sense, albeit in a sometimes disturbing way. She cites Sowa as an influence, but on the evidence it’s pretty clear that her style is her own.
The illustration and painting aside, she also works in textiles, photography, computer graphics, and text. If you had it in mind to find something edgy, this probably won’t be your cup of tea. If you don’t mind sharing said cup of tea with an anteater, on the other hand, you’ll probably feel right at home.
Tags: Daphne Louter, illustration, Jan Vermeer, painting, Photoshop