Magnolie 2022

Gazmend Freitag made this painting, Magnolie, in 2022, using oil paint on canvas. It is a traditional application of material in terms of the history of fine art, but how does it connect to our contemporary moment? Oil paint offers a lusciousness, with layers of color blended together or applied opaquely to a surface. Here, Freitag uses an impressionistic approach to capture the petals of a magnolia. You can see that there is expressive brushwork, with dark lines that imply the contours of the plant and the volume of space around it. Oil paint is produced industrially, in factories. Though Freitag is working in a studio setting, he is reliant on processes of production and consumption, and this affects how we might assess the final product. While admiring the flowers depicted, we might reflect upon the layers of industry and labor that have made this image possible. Considering materiality and making in this way allows us to broaden our understanding of painting itself.