Rose 2018

Curator: Vincent Xeus' "Rose," created in 2018, is a captivating oil painting portrait. Editor: There’s something so dreamy about it, a melancholic wash of light...like she's remembering a summer from long ago. The colors almost smell like old books and sunshine. Curator: Indeed. The visible brushstrokes and layered oil paint draw attention to the physical act of creation itself. We can trace Xeus’ labor in each stroke, transforming pigment into figuration. I'm thinking about how that translates for art production and a viewer’s interpretation. Editor: I get lost in the textures! See the thick impasto in the background, almost like frosting? It really throws the figure into high relief and focuses the viewer's attention onto this person...Rose. Curator: I appreciate how Xeus uses oil paint in a fairly contemporary approach that references classical portraiture. Considering oil’s history in relation to wealth and patronage, Xeus almost democratizes it, emphasizing materiality. It begs us to ponder the role of figuration in art today. Editor: It almost feels like she’s fading away. Like she is being brushed into memory, a visual whisper of what was, rather than what is. You know? The unfinished quality enhances that sense of transient beauty, and almost mimics the quickness and brevity of a Polaroid photo. Curator: Definitely! That feeling comes perhaps from Xeus playing with ideas of production and display, a subtle nod to mass culture where painting must respond. Editor: Absolutely. This portrait makes you reflect not only on the subject but the very notion of capturing a likeness through this very archaic medium. Curator: A powerful testament to the continuing possibilities of both the portrait and oil paint in today's art landscape. Editor: I agree, it resonates deeply. I think about it for days, seeing this person’s face over and over again as she visits my dreams. A portrait that almost paints you as much as you're painting it.