I’ll Make a Heart for You 

Editor: This is Joseph Lorusso’s oil painting, "I'll Make a Heart for You." There's such a softness to it, almost ethereal. The figure looks both vulnerable and strong at the same time. What jumps out at you when you look at this painting? Curator: Oh, I’m drawn in by that duality as well! I almost feel like she is ascending, she is surrounded by ethereal brushstrokes, so light. It’s this intriguing mix of modernism, but with almost a touch of, dare I say, old master softness? Look at how he's capturing emotion, almost raw. The pose with the hands forming a heart seems hopeful, right? Editor: It is, but there's also something melancholic about it, maybe because of her expression? The painting feels very intimate. Curator: Yes! Exactly. Maybe the 'heart' is a promise or a wish, rather than a reality, don’t you think? There's an unresolved tension in her gaze, a vulnerability countered by the act of offering, like the artist’s soul is right here on the canvas, naked to the world. He must have had his heart broken many times. Editor: That’s an interesting observation! Now, when I see it that way, it gives it more complexity, doesn't it? Curator: Isn’t that what art is supposed to do? To let you wander down new paths of thought, find your own little gem along the way! Maybe it is an artwork where one's response is a portrait in and of itself. How very lovely! Editor: I agree! I came here thinking one thing, and now I see so much more, all these other possibilities, it's amazing.