Portrait Of A Man 

Curator: Let's discuss "Portrait Of A Man," a mixed-media figurative study by Tania Rivilis. What strikes you initially? Editor: The textures are immediately apparent—the way the artist juxtaposes the smooth skin tones against the rough OSB wood background. There is a certain unfinished quality which draws you in. Curator: Absolutely. The choice of OSB, oriented strand board, is very deliberate. It's a mass-produced, inexpensive material often associated with construction and low-cost housing. Positioning that against the classic oil portraiture… It invites us to consider ideas of labor and class, don't you think? Editor: Yes, the grain and pattern create visual complexity and tension. See how that turquoise outline subtly echoes the subject’s head. The palette’s limitations contribute to its somberness. Curator: Indeed, this tension speaks to the way society values, or devalues, certain types of work and certain individuals. I’m wondering if it makes a comment on blue-collar identity? Editor: Perhaps. But also, this kind of portraiture can be deconstructed through semiotics. Look at the angles, planes and subtle geometry, and how this yields the form and how those shapes suggest so much character. Curator: Agreed. And it brings the viewer into conversation with consumption and artistic production in general. What we choose to display—whether it's a traditionally 'high art' form like a portrait rendered with oil paints, or whether it's something associated with manual work. Editor: And with the artist’s choice of this panel substrate versus conventional canvas...it gives such unexpected depth. The contrast between subject and background is so striking, almost dreamlike in its stark juxtaposition. It causes such visual interest and I’d almost dare to say ‘joy.’ Curator: True. The unexpected materiality pushes us to look closer, to really question not just who is being represented, but how and why. Thanks for bringing that perspective. Editor: My pleasure. It is those unconventional features of the composition that speak to the eye in an intimate and meaningful way.