sinew 2015

Aaron Nagel made this painting called 'sinew' without a specific date using oil paints, and its process is so present. You can see the traces of the brushstrokes, they are not completely blended, like the painting is still in progress. The figure is emerging from a dark, ambiguous ground, created with these beautiful, loose, almost dissolving marks. The hands are gold, thick and lustrous and opaque, which creates a striking contrast with the woman’s flesh tones. Looking at the hands, they also feel like they are in the process of turning. The contrast of the gold against the muddy black of the ground gives this work a timeless quality, something ancient. There’s a kinship with painters like Odd Nerdrum, who share Nagel’s interest in exploring the darker sides of human nature through allegorical and figurative works, so we can understand art as a conversation and exchange of ideas, building and expanding over time.