This work is two-sided, so I have enclosed below images of both sides of the work. The front side, which has Vivienne’s handwritten text scrawled across the surface, is from a larger body of work called the “Alphabet” paintings. The repetition of letters forms the basis of learning to read and write, and it has fascinated Koorland throughout her career, as has the act of “inventory”, the lists made to record various acts, events, and objects. Koorland presents a catalogue of her work in this painting, listing alphabetically the titles of works she has made since the 1970s.

The verso of this work, the “Opera Drawing”, is dated 1998 and was prompted by a tour by a Russian opera (Glinka’s RUSLAN AND LYUDMILA). A loosely drawn opera stage dominates the canvas, with the tassels from the procenium drapes sketched out and hanging on the left hand side.