Flora & Fauna 2017

Aaron Nagel, born in 1980, painted this portrait in tones of white, gray, and gold. It seems to me like Nagel is in conversation with centuries of portrait painters. I wonder what it might have been like, standing in front of the model, scrutinizing her face, trying to capture that elusive thing, the likeness. The brushstrokes are delicate, almost invisible, except for the gray background, which is a little more gestural. The texture of the paint is smooth, like skin, and the flowers around her neck are rendered with a sculptural quality, casting shadows on her chest. I love the gold beads that seem to float around her neck, like an aura of light. She could be a character from a fairy tale, but one that feels contemporary and real. I can see echoes of the old masters, but with a modern twist. Painting is an embodied conversation.