Mia 2018

Vincent Xeus painted ‘Mia’ with oils and a whole lotta feeling. I can just imagine him building up those layers, wiping away, starting again, trying to capture something elusive. The colors are muted but intense, right? Like a memory fading in and out. And those brushstrokes! They’re like whispers, suggesting a form that's there but also not quite. I can feel the artist really pushing and pulling the paint across the surface. See how the face almost dissolves into the background? It’s like Mia is both present and disappearing at the same time. It reminds me a bit of Gerhard Richter’s blurred portraits, or maybe even some of those old master paintings where the subject seems to be emerging from the darkness. Artists are always riffing off each other, picking up where someone else left off. It’s all one big conversation. I see so much intention but also so much room for interpretation – that's what keeps me coming back to painting.