Ascendant I 2019

Aaron Nagel, who was born in 1980, made this painting titled Ascendant I with what looks like oil on panel. The colours are really limited, almost monochromatic, focusing on orange and reddish-brown hues. I love the way Nagel lets the grain of the wood show through. It's like the painting is breathing, with this warmth emanating from beneath the surface. The figure is so realistic, almost photographic, set against this textured background. Look at the way he's painted the face, so soft and luminous, and how that circle is so roughly rendered. The contrast is striking. The halo effect, paired with the visible brushstrokes, reminds me of early Renaissance religious paintings, but with a modern twist. It's as if Nagel is reminding us that art is an ongoing conversation, always referencing and reinterpreting the past. It’s funny how a painting can look both like something familiar and something completely new all at once.