Portrait of a Hopi

20”x24” Oil on Canvas

Inspired by Guido Reni

By Julian Centofante

INQUIRE ABOUT THIS PAINTING

This portrait of a woman holding a bowl is among Reni’s most celebrated works — and like Vermeer’s Girl with the Pearl Earring, it is a tronie, not a portrait of any particular person but a study of presence. One of the most renowned Baroque painters of his era, Reni brought a beauty and delicacy to his compositions. This reimagining maintains that delicacy — the posture, the softness of the face — but makes significant changes beyond it. The most deliberate is the subject. A Hopi woman was chosen because of the central role pottery holds in Hopi culture. In Reni’s original, it is an accessory. Here it is the anchor of the painting. Her hands were painted intentionally strong — hands that have been put to work — a quiet contrast to the delicacy of her expression and posture. That expression is open to interpretation. In one reading she is composed, even dismissive, with a kind of quiet authority over the moment. In another she seems to be longing for something . Both readings feel true.