Sundown 2013

Aaron Nagel's 'Sundown' is steeped in warm, earthy tones, like a sepia photograph slowly developing. I can imagine Nagel in the studio, coaxing the figure from the shadows, each brushstroke building form and atmosphere. There’s a palpable sense of quiet intensity to the sitter. She looks like she's listening to an unspoken story, or perhaps she is the story. I can imagine Nagel, lost in the process, responding to the nuances of light and shadow as they play across the skin. The way Nagel handles paint reminds me of the Old Masters, but with a modern sensibility. He invites us to contemplate not just what we see, but how we see, embracing painting's rich history while charting his own course. Artists are always borrowing and building on what came before. It’s an ongoing conversation across time, and Nagel has a clear speaking voice.