Still Not Solitary 

Curator: We're now looking at Tania Rivilis's oil painting, "Still Not Solitary." It features a seated man and dog. Editor: It's instantly compelling! The almost languid pose of the man, contrasted with the dog's alert gaze—there’s a striking juxtaposition. The color palette leans into these interesting blue and orange tints that make me feel the interior mood. Curator: It is interesting that you speak to the tints. The emotional weight certainly resonates, perhaps owing to the figures themselves. We read dogs in portraiture as symbols of fidelity, loyalty, and companionship, but this breed, looks more specifically like a Greyhound. Originally bred for the aristocracy. The painting makes us question modern and historic portraiture conventions of people with animal companions. Editor: So the title "Still Not Solitary" makes you think about companionship within social and class strata? The man, slightly disheveled, appears more like an everyman than someone traditionally seen with a Greyhound. This could also explore themes of shifting social roles and democratizing art, wouldn’t you say? He's wearing the look of someone exhausted by demands of being an up-keeper of this once aristocratic role. Curator: Interesting read, I also interpret that dishevelment as internal, rather than merely superficial. Notice how the orange background almost consumes him and becomes this feeling of entrapment. He’s weary. The dog, almost his only lifeline, becomes the solid being looking beyond that entrapment and weariness, and out toward our viewership. There's a distinct melancholic undertone to their shared space. Do you agree? Editor: I think that’s a strong interpretation. Thinking about social commentary, though—could the "not solitary" refer ironically to a shared state of societal anxiety? The dog may be looking towards the outside viewership, but is that askance glance and almost curled lip also one of judgment of the present day viewer? I would venture to guess Rivilis created it in the last couple of years. What about technique? Curator: This work may explore societal and internal reflection with how contemporary life challenges traditional symbols, and is rendered using realism conventions to ground those reflections. Her choice to do visible brushstrokes might reveal that these symbols and portraiture tropes are constructions within our world, instead of purely reflective documents of our culture. Editor: Seeing this with a fresh look, this perspective enhances my perception. It feels like Rivilis makes an assertion for connection in what appears to be a moment of solitude. Curator: Yes, it moves beyond a snapshot of someone with a pet and explores that deeper social, psychological realm that we have been speaking to today.