Fate I 2018

Editor: Here we have Jenny Saville’s 2018 painting, "Fate I," likely rendered in acrylic. It strikes me as a strangely assembled portrait, almost like a collage, focusing on the fragmented form of the figure. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Formally, it presents a fascinating interplay between figuration and abstraction. The stark juxtaposition of representational elements, like the torso and the head, with more gestural, almost abstract, passages creates a visual tension. Note the colour palette: fleshy pinks against the cooler greys of the sculpture and background. This use of colour both emphasizes the three-dimensionality and flattens pictorial space. How does the surface of the painting affect your understanding? Editor: I think it makes the subject more fragmented and confusing, which affects my perception of it, because my focus turns to the material that made it and the forms presented by that matter. I see some passages where the paint seems thickly applied, in contrast to the thinner washes elsewhere. Curator: Precisely. That impasto lends a sculptural quality to the painted surface, emphasizing its materiality. Observe, too, how the planes of color abut one another, creating unexpected geometric forms. Consider the historical echoes as well. Editor: Echoes like? Curator: The echoes of Cubism come to mind in its fractured representation and the dissolution of conventional perspective. Yet Saville's emphasis on the corporeal form and vibrant colour differentiates it. She appears to want the painting to deconstruct figuration and to present her vision of a body, reassembled by matter. What about you? Editor: I see it now; focusing on how Saville’s technique fragments the subject's form allowed me to observe its composition as the intended point of focus. Thanks. Curator: Indeed. Reflecting upon it further, the artist’s visual arrangement encourages an exploration beyond the literal image, moving toward its pure abstraction.