Low Down 

Editor: Here we have Dan Graziano's "Low Down," an oil painting. The impasto technique really jumps out; you can almost feel the thickness of the paint. The textures are striking, giving it a somewhat raw energy. What do you make of the visible brushstrokes? Curator: The very physicality of those brushstrokes, the obvious labor involved in applying that paint, tells us something. It pulls us away from any illusionism and insists on the artwork as an *object*, made of *stuff*. It denies easy consumption; it demands we consider its production. How do you think this emphasis on material reality challenges our typical understanding of portraiture? Editor: That's an interesting way to look at it. Most portraits aim to capture a likeness or personality, right? But here, the focus seems less on the individual depicted and more on the *act* of painting itself. It also seems that traditional skill is forgone in place of materiality. Curator: Precisely. The portrait isn't about illusionism. It uses materials—oil paint, brush, canvas—in a way that refuses to hide the making process. It embraces the means of production. The raw and unfinished character reminds us of other art forms tied to labor. It evokes the energy of process. What impact do you think it might have on a viewer to confront such unvarnished, unromanticized creation? Editor: It makes me question the traditional art world, almost democratizing portraiture, focusing on the artist's act, but what it could *become* to be high art with time... It highlights its process over conventional skill. Curator: And that democratization, the bringing down of perceived barriers of 'high art' can open a viewer to a very different understanding. Instead of seeing something ethereal, untouchable, we encounter material, action, *work*. Editor: Definitely given me a new appreciation of the artwork itself! Curator: For me as well! Focusing on process and the labor adds great complexity.