The Egg Race
Artist
Serena Potter
Date2017
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions26 x 38 in. (66 x 96.5 cm)
ClassificationsPainting
Credit LineThe Hilbert Collection
Object numberPot-11
DescriptionSerena Potter is an Orange County artist known for her figurative oil paintings, which contrast vibrant hues reminiscent of Golden Age American illustrators such as Rockwell and Lyendecker with an often sardonic narrative, placing the subjects in childlike or unlikely scenarios. By pairing contemporary and vintage elements, Potter’s paintings speak to the transitory nature of time, and the relevance of early experience in shaping who we become. Certain imagery has begun to emerge and recycle in Potter’s paintings, such as eggs. In “The Egg Race” we see a party featuring girls and women racing with eggs on spoons, a balancing act – while being sabotaged midway by men. “The race seems like a race against their own biology, with the men/boys attempting to pull the women back and return them to their ’destiny,’” says art critic Genie Davis of this work. “It’s so gloriously depicted that one might not notice at first the dark underpinnings of the moment.”
The setting is a courtyard at Fullerton High School. There’s a cat in the bottom right corner, seemingly taken aback – or perhaps blasé, as cats often are.
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