Bebe Rexha 2021

Editor: We are looking at "Bebe Rexha," an oil painting portrait by Gazmend Freitag from 2021. There's something immediately engaging about the sitter’s direct gaze and slight smile. How do you interpret this work in relation to contemporary portraiture? Curator: This piece compels us to consider representation itself. Given its title, we can assume this is a portrait of a known celebrity, but its painterly style, verging on expressive realism, complicates the visual shorthand of celebrity image. It challenges our assumptions of constructed celebrity identity. Editor: That’s a fascinating point. So you’re saying the artist is inviting us to consider the gap between the real person and the public persona? Curator: Exactly. We might ask, what is Freitag trying to communicate about contemporary ideas around beauty, performance, and identity? The brushstrokes are quite visible. It makes me wonder how the style and aesthetic choices are relevant in portraying a public figure. Editor: It almost feels like he’s pushing back against the slickness often associated with celebrity imagery. Curator: Precisely. By employing a more raw, honest depiction, Freitag invites a critical examination of the constructed nature of fame and the unrealistic expectations projected onto figures like Bebe Rexha. We see a contemporary subject through the tradition of oil painting. It acknowledges its history. Editor: That gives me a whole new perspective on the artwork. I was initially drawn to the realistic depiction, but I hadn't considered how that plays into larger social issues around image and identity. Curator: It highlights how even seemingly straightforward portraits can be deeply engaged with broader cultural narratives. Seeing this image has renewed my interest in identity within portraiture, and how identity can be intentionally created by an artist.