Aglaura 

Curator: This is "Aglaura" by Sofia Bonati, a watercolour piece. At first glance, it has an undeniably melancholic aura. Editor: Absolutely, there's a definite sadness to it. The red swimsuit is a sharp contrast to the grey cloud above her head. Look at the repeating pattern of those scalloped waves too. Such a beautifully crafted layering effect. Curator: The cloud above Aglaura’s head isn’t just a raincloud, it’s her thoughts, emotions… maybe even trauma. Water often represents the unconscious, here she’s waist-deep in it. Editor: Right. It almost reads as if she's produced from and contained by the materials themselves. The naive art style subverts high art expectations, highlighting labour, almost like folk art. The cloud is built of countless little strokes, and even the water feels hand-wrought. Curator: Precisely. The visual symbols offer such layers of continuity. She seems to stand as a figure for how women internalise experiences that impact them negatively, showing a sense of emotional weather. Editor: And the act of creating this in watercolour feels essential to understanding the finished piece. Watercolor offers a softness, even with the melancholy it conveys. How do you think the effect might change if Bonati rendered the image digitally, for example? Curator: That shift in production might obscure what this figure embodies. The inherent fluidity of watercolour mirrors the flow of emotions, linking it deeply to the representation. Editor: Yes, seeing the mark of the hand so visibly feels important in considering our response. "Aglaura" holds an impressive balance of simplicity and nuanced execution of material. Curator: Thinking about "Aglaura," I now recognise more deeply that externalised sorrow is visually memorable and can connect to collective trauma, something shared. Editor: Seeing the artist’s mark and material handling here reminds me of what the human hand brings to an image—it’s about intention as much as reception.