Novelty 2018

Joshua Flint made 'Novelty' with paint, and it looks like the process was one of layering, scraping, and building up textures, a real back-and-forth between control and letting go. I bet it was interesting for Flint to build up this surreal image, with the figure in the tub, the fox mask, and the strange architectural details. The cool blues and grays give the painting a dreamlike quality, almost like a memory fading at the edges. That single stroke of white, defining the edge of the bathtub—it’s so simple, yet it makes the whole form pop. And the way the colors blend and bleed into each other, it feels like Flint is inviting us to get lost in the painting. It reminds me of other artists who play with reality and fiction, like Magritte or Balthus, but with a contemporary twist. Ultimately, this act of painting is about discovery, for the artist and for us.