By The Slenderest Of Threads 

Curator: Here we have "By The Slenderest Of Threads," an oil painting by Tania Rivilis, which explores figuration through a portrait style. Editor: The lighting hits me first; it's intimate, almost voyeuristic, and makes you wonder about the private world being shown. The slumped figure—he feels completely vulnerable. Curator: It's interesting you say that, because if we look at art history, reclining figures are nothing new. Historically, though, those figures tend to be women displayed for the male gaze. Here we have what appears to be two male figures, disrupting established power dynamics. Editor: Totally. The guy perched above definitely holds the gaze and the power. He is very in control, whereas the lower figure surrenders everything. Also, the painter's handling of skin tones makes it super tactile. I mean, you just want to reach out and touch them. The contrast is striking: vulnerability and stoicism in the same space. Curator: The artist's decision to include a fallen apple with missing pieces adds another layer of symbolic interpretation. You almost think you are observing a pre- or post-coital moment after forbidden consumption of desire, hinting at larger anxieties of our modern era. Editor: True, the fallen apple… It has such obvious biblical overtones and adds an incredible symbolic charge, like some tender expulsion from the Garden of Eden. Still, look at how gently the seated figure's hand rests on the other's head. It could be tender or… possessive. The slenderest of threads—relationship can be that fragile. I keep coming back to that apple: maybe they did share an experience—the end result might leave them on disparate emotional grounds. Curator: A fitting consideration of how intimacy plays out for modern identities which artists like Rivilis seem determined to document within society's artistic narrative. Editor: Right, painting at its best: posing questions rather than handing out easy answers!