José Luis Ferrer

The subject of Schnabel’s print is Spanish actor and filmmaker José Luis Ferrer, a close friend of the artist. Part of a series of three portraits Schnabel made of fellow creative professionals, the portrayal is essentially a psychological consideration of Ferrer, who is depicted standing at the center of an ambiguous pictorial space, wearing a dark, cleric-like robe and collar. Ferrer stares directly at the viewer, with an alert but solemn expression. His feet and left hands are unseen. Is this a portrait of a holy man? A prophet? A sage? To the right of Ferrer, a flowing, jagged wedge of white runs from the top of the composition to its bottom edge, visually competing with the figure. Other colors drip and flow across the background, including several areas of poured translucent resin, a viscous fluid that hardens to a solid over time. With this, Schnabel introduces chance and transience into the work. The portrait is a scene of uncertainty, of mystery, and of an undefined melancholy. Though charged with emotion, its ultimate meaning is left for the viewer to determine.