Richard Murdock (b. 1953)

The tabletop is a vehicle for Richard Murdock, denoting the way that this form has traditionally been a means of achieving continuity between our space and that of the image. Yet in Murdock’s Still Life with Magnolias, only a glimmer of light conveys the presence of the table’s surface; the luminosity flows upward, animating three magnolias, each in a different stage of opening. The isolation of the brilliant, highly refined flowers gives this work a poignant undertone, bringing to mind life’s fragility and temporality.