Tajh Rust’s portrait of a mom and her daughter embracing on the kitchen floor has a counterpart in a second family picture in which the mother meets our gaze while cradling her child’s head. The comparison reveals how easy it is to make eye contact with the child vs her assured mother as they occupy private space in a tender moment. Nevertheless, the girl’s eye becomes the focal point of the painting, highlighting the power of her keen observation. (On view in ‘Vernacular Interior’ at Hales Gallery in Chelsea through July 20th).
