Neither Here Nor There 

Curator: Staring back at us, a portrait in oil by Dan Graziano entitled "Neither Here Nor There". It really arrests your gaze, doesn't it? Editor: Absolutely. There's a real sense of… melancholy, I think. It's beautifully painted, those confident brushstrokes giving it a kind of immediate honesty, but that solitary figure – there's something quite lonely about her. Curator: Indeed. It feels very much of our time in its rendering. You see this figurative, contemporary approach capturing something transient. Graziano's portrait, however, doesn't feel fixed in any particular moment, which brings an odd sense of timelessness. Editor: And there's a curious blend of observation and abstraction in the handling of her form. Her body language tells us so much – the posture, the hand on the chin in an archetypal pose for thoughtfulness. Yet the features are obscured behind sunglasses. She's knowable and unknowable, both. Curator: Sunglasses hiding the eyes is such a deliberate gesture. They speak of our need for anonymity, for shielding oneself from the gaze of others while still observing the world. What do you think that red does? The splashes of red and those shoes particularly… Editor: Ah, that flash of color is genius! The red introduces tension. It could be interpreted as rebellion. The splashes also lead your eye and energize the picture. Without it, the painting would, as a whole, convey that melancholy feeling that I had referred to. It’s a perfect little injection of dramatic irony. Curator: Do you think the expressionistic touch relates to anything historically? Editor: Absolutely. Expressionism is about distorting reality to communicate inner emotion, but also social criticism. Graziano is playing into art historical traditions whilst also offering a lens on our era. We are now completely comfortable expressing the innermost of our feelings outwardly via social media, etc, whereas this piece really brings forth something so inward, so secret. Curator: Yes, it offers a compelling narrative around solitude and detachment in modern life. A figure "Neither Here Nor There", lost in her own thoughts, perfectly captured with vibrant, expressive brushwork. It is a brilliant contradiction in itself and the painting overall. Editor: Graziano has tapped into something resonant and strangely familiar. This really will stick with me.