{
  "id": 6782129,
  "title": "Sara Anstis’ Soft Pastels Summon Mythology, Dreams, and the Renaissance",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/11/sara-anstis-soft-pastels-summon-mythology-dreams-and-the-renaissance",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-11T16:39:10.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Colossal",
    "slug": "colossal",
    "url": "https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2026/09/sara-anstis-pastels-renaissance-women-drawings/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Sara Anstis' pastel drawings transport viewers to a world where mythology, dreams, and the Renaissance intertwine. Her small-scale works, featured in her solo exhibition Pastels at Olney Gleason, invite contemplation of curious activities and enigmatic narratives. Hints of art historical iconography, ancient symbolism, and nursery rhymes surface in her atmospheric tableaux, creating a timeless atmosphere.\n\nAnstis' palette has evolved from vibrant, saturated hues to more muted, autumnal tones, reflecting her recent focus on medieval and early Renaissance works. In pieces like \"The Horse Rider\" and \"The Painter,\" she draws upon the stoic expressions seen in works by Fra Angelico and Hans Memling, as well as the medieval tradition of portraying saints at the feet of holy figures. Meanwhile, her recurring animal motifs pay homage to Leonardo da Vinci's \"Lady with an Ermine.\"\n\nMaternal themes emerge throughout the exhibition, influenced by Paula Modersohn-Becker's 1906 painting \"Self-Portrait at 6th Wedding Anniversary.\" Soft pastels serve as both a symbolic and practical medium for Anstis, enabling her to explore the fuzziness of dreams and the blurred edges of folk stories. Her works, such as \"Three heads in a bed\" and \"Lachrymatories,\" evoke nursery rhymes and ancient rituals, while figures like the milkman in \"The Milkman\" and the pensive woman in \"Lachrymatories\" become intimately connected to their surroundings.\n\nThrough her use of pastels, Anstis retains an intimate sense of touch, imbuing her scenes with introspective intensity. The women in her works fully embody their activities, whether it be horseback riding, reading, or painting, creating an air of veneration and suggesting fragments of underlying rites and observances. With her whimsical, almost cartoonish approach, Anstis taps into the seductive irrationality of dreams and imagination. Pastels is on view at the gallery in New York City through October 24.",
  "summary": "Anstis' solo show 'Pastels' just opened at Olney Gleason in New York City. Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article Sara Anstis’ Soft Pastels Summon Mythology, Dreams, and the Renaissance appeared first on Colossal .",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}