Interlude is an oil-on-canvas work by midth-century painter John Koch , that sits in the Memorial Art Gallery's permanent collection. It is one of Koch's many known works featuring himself and a nude model in-studio. Interlude along with other pieces such as The Sculptor , [ 2 ] and Painter and Models [ 3 ] present the theme of a scene in which artist and model are in the midst of taking a break.
The model is alongside Koch before his unfinished canvas, in his high end domestic space โ a fourteen-room apartment on Central Park West. Interlude depicts Koch's wife, Dora Zaslavsky , handing the model a cup of tea for example. In addition to subject matter, Koch's painting style reflects traditional European Realism , somewhat of a rare sight in post-war American Expressionism. In John Koch's Interlude , a large oil on canvas work, there are three figures, a white man and woman and a black woman - John Koch, his wife Dora Zaslavsky, and model Rosetta Howard.
Dora wears a plain floor length quilted robe, occupying the middle ground, a gentle polite smile on her face with downturned eyes that are probably focused on the white teacup and saucer she is handing to the model.
Koch's inclusion of this bright crimson creates a visual focus, and perhaps even a point of contrast to separate Howard's figure from the mostly brown tones she is composed within.
Howard is completely nude and occupying the foreground, facing away from the viewer so that only her back, the top of her buttocks, and her outstretched arm reaching for the teacup is visible. Her hair is either short or pinned up, making the expanse of her back a prominent and outstanding part of the overall composition - a second central focal point. Interlude has a careful resemblance to reality in its soft brushstrokes and use of lighting.
