Sailor and Charlotte 2017

Joe Machine created "Sailor and Charlotte," a painting whose dimensions are 54 by 40 centimeters. The composition strikes us first, with its stark contrast between the pale figures and the enveloping black backdrop. The lines are sharp and deliberate, defining the angular features of the sailor and Charlotte, emphasizing a sense of detachment. The layering of textures and patterns, from the sailor's uniform to Charlotte's delicate corset and stockings, introduces a visual complexity, yet the somber palette mutes any sense of immediate warmth. Machine plays with conventional figuration, elongating the bodies and exaggerating anatomical details, which gives the work an unsettling quality. This distortion disrupts established notions of beauty and challenges the viewer's expectations, pushing against traditional representation and towards a more unsettling and psychologically charged depiction. The painting is an invitation to question the familiar and to engage with the unsettling aspects of human connection and representation.