portrait of Hannah 2021

Aaron Nagel’s portrait of Hannah is swathed in warm, earthy tones, a symphony of browns and oranges that give off a feeling of sun-drenched stillness. I wonder what it was like for Nagel, setting up his easel, choosing his brushes, and mixing the colors just so? There’s a striking contrast between the background, which looks almost unfinished with its textured brushwork, and Hannah's face, rendered with such delicate precision. Look at the way he’s captured the light on her cheekbone, or the subtle shadows around her eyes. You can see a real dedication to understanding how light shapes form. It reminds me of other painters who've tried to capture the inner lives of their subjects, from Van Eyck to Alice Neel. It's as though Nagel is in a conversation with them, across time. It’s like each brushstroke is a tiny act of translation, turning a living, breathing person into something new, something that lives on the canvas.