Nordic 

Curator: Here we have Sarah Joncas's striking figurative painting entitled "Nordic." Editor: The immediate thing that jumps out at me is the texture - or rather, the lack of it! It's incredibly smooth; the surface is almost porcelain-like. Curator: It’s true. Joncas is known for her exquisite realism. This piece highlights her skill, notably with acrylic paints, building up layers to achieve a remarkable likeness while hinting at broader art-historical themes around identity. It is important to realize that in contemporary portraiture, likeness and idealization play powerful roles in reflecting social standards. Editor: You know, seeing it this close, I wonder about the process. Is this a single layer of meticulously applied color or many translucent glazes that build to this effect? And what kind of brushstrokes are at play here, or are we even supposed to notice them? Curator: These are important points; realism itself operates within specific social frameworks that assign different value to these different skills, such as photorealism or classical renderings. How we view the final piece as an aesthetic choice matters just as much as understanding the material decisions made by the artist to reflect her environment. The presentation frames both artistic skill and female subject. Editor: Exactly. Think about it. The 'finish' becomes part of the message. The hyper-smooth skin speaks to a particular contemporary cultural ideal promoted by media and maybe to ideas of virtual avatars rather than human representation. The labor-intensive quality itself points to luxury. Curator: Luxury... and, I would add, perhaps an interrogation of it. In showing this perfected appearance so boldly, is she drawing attention to the artificiality inherent in its cultural role and in her artistic performance to portray this ideal? Editor: Could be. Or simply be a reaction of the modern cultural moment in terms of where we’re heading concerning manufactured identity... It really prompts reflection on the artistry involved in building these layers while reflecting the subject. Curator: And that is something about portraiture, broadly, to this very day. It really makes us reconsider the standards and context surrounding what is shown. Editor: Absolutely. This gives so much more context about these effects than before.