Signals 2010

Editor: We're looking at Aaron Nagel’s 2010 oil painting, *Signals*. The figure's intense gaze, combined with the dripping black paint, creates such a striking image! How do you interpret this work? Curator: Well, I'm immediately drawn to the stark contrast of the clean skin and the viscous, dark substance. It evokes a sense of ritual or perhaps even transformation. Think of ancient anointing ceremonies or even more modern uses of black as symbolic of power or even rebellion. What signals is she sending us, do you think? Editor: That's interesting! I was thinking about concealment, maybe a barrier that's also a type of expression. Is there a tension between revealing and hiding? Curator: Precisely! Consider how frequently artists, throughout history, have used veils, masks, or similar imagery. Are we seeing a form of self-protection or perhaps a performance? The glossy texture of the "paint" feels significant too – is it a sort of manufactured identity? Editor: So, this isn't just about surface, it's deeper. Perhaps about the persona that one puts on for the world? Curator: Indeed. It's a complex interplay between vulnerability and strength, visibility and obscurity. It makes me think of all the cultural signals – intended or not – that women send in the ways they are depicted. What do you make of the work now? Editor: Seeing it as less about what is shown and more about how these constructed identities are conveyed is very enlightening! Thank you! Curator: My pleasure, art is after all a collective cultural inheritance.