Wheel of Fortune 1978

Curator: Here we have Audrey Flack's "Wheel of Fortune," completed in 1978 using oil paints, a quintessential example of Photorealism meeting the vanitas tradition. Editor: Wow, it’s… intense. Overwhelming even, with so much crammed into one canvas. The skull immediately grabs your attention, but then your eye jumps all over the place. It almost feels like a critique of excess, perhaps? Curator: Excess, certainly in terms of material objects! But think about the photorealistic process itself. Flack painstakingly recreated each item, blurring the line between a photograph, a readymade object, and handcrafted painting. Consider the sheer labor, the obsessive detail required to depict these items. The lipstick, the skull, the mirror reflecting yet another skull, the hourglass… Editor: And a tarot card prominently displayed! It speaks to broader themes, anxieties around the commodification of spirituality and identity. I think it raises complex questions. Who is this painting for? What anxieties is it tapping into during the late 1970s? Curator: Indeed. And by meticulously recreating these items, Flack almost imbues them with a heightened presence. Look at how she treats the reflective surfaces, almost flaunting the skills of a master painter! Each brushstroke deliberately highlighting the material presence of oil on canvas. Editor: It's impossible to ignore the historical weight carried by the symbols, specifically the "vanitas" tradition, which reminds us of mortality and earthly pleasures. Seeing a woman's portrait juxtaposed with those very symbols almost paints the image as commentary on social constructs concerning womanhood, beauty standards and even aging. Curator: Exactly, it's a testament to the potential for photorealism to extend beyond mere duplication of reality, offering incisive commentary on production, reproduction, and the very nature of objecthood itself. Editor: Agreed! The multiple, mirrored skulls in the artwork speak to the multiplicities that surround and make up our understanding of beauty. The labor behind attaining that perfection… and ultimately, facing what lies beyond it. Thank you.