Glare of the Sun 2020

Curator: Let's spend a few moments contemplating Joshua Flint’s “Glare of the Sun” created in 2020, an acrylic on canvas painting in the style of postmodern figuration. What are your immediate thoughts? Editor: A radiant child, emerging from the watery depths. It feels a little like a memory, indistinct yet vivid with light. Sort of hopeful, kind of haunting too. Curator: That interplay is characteristic of much postmodern artwork, isn't it? "Glare of the Sun" encapsulates that. Flint is part of a generation that interrogates history, pulling apart the linear narratives we've inherited. He layers references and techniques to examine identity formation and memory. Editor: So the "glare" isn’t necessarily positive, then? Like, is it illuminating or blinding? Or both, maybe, depending on your perspective and experiences? I almost wonder if the child feels exposed. Curator: The ambiguity is deliberate. As a society, we tend to simplify complex histories. This artwork challenges viewers to actively question what's real, what's constructed, and how institutions shape perceptions. Even the medium choice, acrylics, lends itself to layering and re-evaluation, doesn't it? Editor: Definitely. Acrylics let you build and bury. You can achieve such luminosity and then, with another wash, obscure it again. The painting feels like a visual poem— a constant negotiation between visibility and concealment. Curator: Absolutely. And that speaks to the core issue; the relationship between private identity and public presentation within power structures. He's asking us to question how the glare of societal expectations impacts our understanding of the individual. The location doesn’t have much indication of where this is located. Is it even a real place? Editor: Right, is she walking through water or the sky? And with that gold scepter, you're making me wonder what world she's about to inherit. It feels fragile, beautiful, a little bit scary, all at once. Curator: Perhaps an era that will encourage such layered views, in hopes for a deeper recognition of society. Thank you, these nuanced views of individual awareness are so key to appreciating the message of this portrait.