Only The Wolves Are Listening 

Curator: What a compelling and haunting image. Editor: I agree, there's something profoundly melancholic about it. The somber blues contrasted with that striking crimson creates an intense visual dichotomy. Curator: Indeed. This piece is by Troy Brooks, and it's titled "Only The Wolves Are Listening." Brooks is known for his pop-surrealist portraits of women that possess a very distinct, otherworldly quality. Here, the medium appears to be acrylic paint which really enhances those dreamlike textures. Editor: The composition immediately draws your eye to the central figure; she is almost glowing against that velvety, dark background. The severe lines of her makeup, and that perfect hair… it's a mask of high glamour fighting with the vulnerability in those painted tears. How does the artifice of the mid-century starlet comment on contemporary womanhood, or the pressures placed upon the female subject? Curator: Brooks has stated he's drawn to the idea of re-imagining how women can wield influence. The cigarettes that appear frequently in his artworks reference that historical trope of defiant, independent women. Perhaps in “Only The Wolves Are Listening,” we witness a subversion; a traditionally coded “strong” female, smoking and reclining. But the title tells us perhaps she’s vulnerable despite all of that. Who are these "wolves"? What does it say that the work frames the quiet solitude of smoking, once thought of as alluring or even empowering, as inherently forlorn? Editor: Yes, her tears appear less of a breakdown, and more like an aesthetic extension, don’t you think? It also draws attention to the flatness of the face. The details, expertly rendered with striking realism, almost erase the presence of an individual, which further intensifies the overall disquiet. Her sadness almost looks artificial. Curator: And consider that her stylized presentation could be Brooks addressing his position within contemporary discourse surrounding gender, representation, and artistic production. To what extent does Brooks interrogate art-world perceptions regarding femininity, or is he reinforcing them through these painted surfaces and stylized elements? I would argue the painting challenges contemporary production. Editor: An intriguing reading indeed. What I take away, from just the sheer formalism of the painting, is this deep exploration of how opposing elements – stark glamour and pronounced grief, vibrant color against inky darkness – coexist in such potent ways. It resonates far beyond just the identity politics and the modes of representation. Curator: Well put. It makes me reconsider the image with an even greater awareness of its multifaceted and potentially paradoxical nature.