Beogradjanka 2013

Dragan Ilić Di Vogo made this painting, Beogradjanka, with what looks like very thin oil paint and brushes, though it's hard to be certain. There's a real process here, a building up of layers. I get the feeling that this painting is really about how we look, how we construct an image, or how an image is constructed for us, the almost classical statue, and the figure in front, seemingly caught in a moment of self-reflection. The colours are muted, almost dreamlike and this, combined with the smoothness of the paint handling, makes the image feel very internal, like a memory. Look closely at the small splatters of paint around the figure’s torso and arm. To me they hint at a painterly abstraction, something looser, more visceral, lurking beneath the surface of this carefully rendered scene. In some ways this painting reminds me of Balthus, who was also interested in the way the body inhabits space. But maybe that's just me! Either way, I get the feeling that there's no easy answer here, which is what makes this so interesting.