Remote Control 2020

Jason Limon's *Remote Control* is painted with oils, where the artist uses the medium to describe a scene of stillness with eerie humor. Limon embraces process as he layers up the oil paint, achieving a tactile presence, particularly in the leather armchair. The brushstrokes here seem to sculpt the material, giving a plush, lived-in feel to the scene. The surface texture of the painting draws you in, inviting you to consider the different ways to render images and ideas in paint. Look closely at the bookshelf in the background: its simplified planes and muted tones recede into a suggestive space of narrative possibility. This piece reminds me of the work of John Currin in the way it updates a classic approach to painting with a contemporary twist. But unlike Currin, Limon avoids explicit critique, favoring a gentler, more ironic contemplation of life’s absurdities. It reminds us that art is a dialogue, continuously renegotiating its terms with a wink and a smile.