Signal to Noise III 2017

Curator: This is Aaron Nagel's "Signal to Noise III" from 2017, executed in oil. A diptych—very intriguing in its juxtaposition of subjects. Editor: It strikes me as oddly melancholic, perhaps because of the subdued palette and the young woman's averted gaze. There’s an interesting disjunction in scale and texture as well between the woman and fabric. Curator: The diptych presents a dialogue of forms, where Nagel masterfully deploys value and hue. Note how the planes of the woman’s face echo in the sculpted folds of the draped fabric to the right, unifying the two seemingly disparate sections. The oil paint has a certain translucence. Editor: Translucence that certainly heightens the almost dreamlike atmosphere. Draped fabric has, across art history, symbolized transience. Considering the title, "Signal to Noise," does this contrast of idealized beauty and ephemeral cloth signify some sort of struggle to extract clarity from chaos, to find what matters amidst the distractions? Curator: A fitting interpretation given that Nagel carefully considers every element. The female form— itself an exploration of line and mass—serves here as a study in classical portraiture, subtly destabilized by its modern, flattened presentation. Consider, too, that it recalls photographic double exposures where super-imposition results in images of doubling, ghosting, and semi-transparency. Editor: So the cloth and woman's visage can also serve as layered symbolic language, one highlighting beauty and other the background noise to beauty... I wonder if this approach attempts to subvert our expectations of idealized images? This visual noise then, it seems to emphasize rather than conceal, questioning beauty itself. Curator: The ambiguity and inherent flatness within his realism encourage precisely such readings. Nagel's "Signal to Noise III" pushes against representational boundaries. Editor: Ultimately, it's the interplay between its technical mastery and veiled iconography that continues to resonate. It leaves you contemplating the fleeting nature of beauty.