Katherine Boucher Beug (b. 1947)Telemachus

In Katherine Boucher Beug’s Telemachus, the canvas displays irregular patches of colour in variations of blue, gold and white, bleeding and blurring into one another. At one time, there appears to have been a distinct grid-like structure at work that has long since been effaced and painted over. The repetition of the composition subtly veers off course, into juxtapositions of density and light, of delicate washes and layers of opacity and texture. 

The image seems to have been built up gradually, through long periods of painting and over-painting, looking and waiting. In this light, the connection with Telemachus, son of Odysseus and Penelope, makes sense. The image bears a formal resemblance to a ship’s flag, wind-swept and tattered through years of ocean voyages. The fluid, formless delineations of the squares easily evoke the spray of water, fog and mist. Even the violence, inflicted by Telemachus and Odysseus upon his father’s return home and eventual confrontation with Penelope’s suitors, is represented. More than anything, however, the painting suggests patience, uncertainty, and the prolonged anticipation of the son (like the artist) for a satisfactory resolution of their trials.