Painting Oil on Canvas by Jack Flynn: Scholar's Rocks in Red

Four red stones, lined up in order of size, like a family photograph.

Scholar's Rocks in Red is a contemporary oil on canvas by Jack Flynn. Scholar's rocks are natural stones that collectors display on their desks for shape and surface, as objects to contemplate, and a painting like this is made to be enjoyed the same way. Here they are treated as portraits. Four glossy red stones, veined with white, sit in a row on a pale, almost shadowless ground, painted with close attention to every crack and streak. The largest crowds the left, and the smallest stands apart at right. The canvas is long and low, with nothing else to look at.

The smallest one seems to be keeping its distance.