Also capitalising on the re-opening of the National Portrait Gallery last week is this exhibition of small portraits by artist Elizabeth Peyton at the elegant townhouse gallery space of David Zwirner. Though known for her portraits of celebrities, this show features the faces of Peyton's close friends. The exhibition's title can be traced back to the Ancient Greek term angelos, meaning messenger, protector, someone who comes to tell us something to guide us on our way. The subjects become angels in her work as she portrays them with an intensity akin to love. These are quite intimate, contemplative studies of her subjects in repose lost in their own reveries seemingly oblivious to an audience. Many of the studies are fairly closely cropped which adds to the sense of intimacy. They are built up from a variety of loose, transparent, almost impressionistic brushstrokes. Peyton seems to have favoured a purposely restricted palette of purples, pinks and blues which adds perhaps a psychological insight to the sitters states of mind whilst giving emphasis to their sense of introspection.
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