Division 2017

Aaron Nagel made this painting, Division, presumably with oil on canvas, sometime after 1980. What strikes me about this piece is its soft focus, its embrace of muted color; there is a gentleness that pervades. It’s a painting that invites a slower, more contemplative way of seeing. Look closely, and you’ll notice how the light catches the folds of the fabric. The paint isn't applied thickly, but rather in thin, deliberate layers. Nagel coaxes the surface into being. The dark background, with its subtle gradations, creates a sense of depth, almost like a void. And then there's the figure herself. A division between light and dark is set up as she stares off, almost like she is caught between worlds. This work has echoes of the Old Masters, like Rembrandt, with his use of chiaroscuro. Yet Nagel brings something new, a contemporary sensibility. It's a reminder that art is a conversation that spans centuries, each artist adding their own voice to the chorus.