KATHLEEN TREHAN

Kathleen Trahan, a junior at the University of Rhode Island, is a native of Bergen County, New Jersey. On track to receive her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 2021, she plans to continue her art studies as she moves on to graduate school to pursue a master’s degree in Art Education. Kathleen’s medium of choice is graphite pencil, but she has an affinity for micron pen stippling. Acrylic painting is a fairly new study for her and her painting style is simplistic, representational, and inspired by Renaissance Art. The opportunity to study in Florence, Italy last spring opened many new creative doors for Kathleen who, up until then, had been primarily self-taught. The time she spent in Italy exposed her to many new styles and mediums but ignited her passion for Renaissance Art.

This religious, wooden triptych was inspired by my recent study abroad experience in Florence, Italy. Studying in Florence affirmed the opportunity to experience many historic pieces of artwork such as fresco paintings, sculptural pieces, and many Catholic altarpieces (usually in the form of a triptych.) The religious artwork, which predominates much of the Italian artwork, was a great inspiration to me and the influence for the creation of this piece.

This three paneled painting is a representation of Good compared to Evil in relation to the Bible. The main center panel is my representation of the Garden of Eden which was the original struggle between good and evil. The main focus is the Tree of Knowledge and Wisdom; Adam and Eve ate from this tree, creating the original sin. The panel to the left, is the stairway to Heaven surrounded by clouds, sun rays and the Holy Cross which represents Heaven itself. On the opposite side, the right panel includes the stairway leading down to Hell which flows into a river of lava. With the lack of human figures, it puts the veiwer in the position that they are alone, potentially reflecting on the possibility of entering Heaven or Hell. When the triptych is closed, it shows a painting of the resurrection of Jesus in the form of a stained glass window. I chose to include this portion of the piece because the resurrection represents the ultimate triumph of Good over Evil, and stained glass windows are a common theme in the architecture of Catholic Cathedrals.

Romans 12:21, acrylic paint on MDF wood, 42” x 20” x .5” (closed) 42” x 40” x .5” (open)