Arrangement in Green and Black

April 19, 2010 1:21 PM

"I found a small print of Whistler's painting, Arrangement in Grey and Black: Portrait of the Painter's Mother, at a neighborhood garage sale. The same weekend, I found a leopard coat and hat, a 1950s cat painting, and what looked like the exact chair from Whistler's painting." Photographer Aline Smithson's series of portraits of her 85-year-old mother.
posted by doift (9 comments total)

This has to be the world's most patient mom.

And these are both humorous and beautiful.
posted by bearwife at 1:27 PM on April 19, 2010

Well I was going to say something snarky like "Let's take up a pool and buy Aline Photoshop so her poor mother can take a break" but then I read this on her website:

My patient 85 year-old mother posed in over 20 ensembles, but unfortunately passed away before seeing the finished series. I am grateful for her sense of humor and the time this series allowed us to be together.

So instead I will simply write:

.
posted by 2bucksplus at 1:29 PM on April 19, 2010 [3 favorites]

The images are charming. I love the whimsy and that it was a Mom-daughter bonding time. I'm caring for my 85-year-old mom and these strike home.
posted by agatha_magatha at 1:38 PM on April 19, 2010

I am tearing up, seriously. What a great mother, and what fun.
posted by ocherdraco at 1:38 PM on April 19, 2010

These are great. Her mom must have been fantastic.
posted by chatongriffes at 1:40 PM on April 19, 2010

I especially love the straightjacket/blank wall combo.
posted by Horace Rumpole at 2:08 PM on April 19, 2010

Excuse me, straitjacket. I know better than that.
posted by Horace Rumpole at 2:09 PM on April 19, 2010

Just sent it to my own mom (she's 59) with the subject line "We need to do this."

Of course, her own hobby is taking pictures of what I like to call "vegetables in compromising positions," so...
posted by Madamina at 2:29 PM on April 19, 2010

The grayish tone of the woman's skin is kinda ghastly but the pics are a lot of fun. I love the one with the patient dog in the elephant mask.
posted by irisclara at 11:24 PM on April 19, 2010