New Yorkaise I 2013

Curator: Let’s turn our attention to Patrick Pietropoli’s “New Yorkaise I,” a 2013 painting currently held in a private collection. What are your initial thoughts? Editor: It strikes me as a study in browns and greys, almost monochrome. The materiality is intriguing—rough brushstrokes, a tangible sense of the artist’s hand building the figure. It feels less about representation and more about the physical act of applying paint. Curator: The artist subtly presents themes surrounding modern femininity, reflecting how identity can be constructed through posing and dress within urban environments. Considering contemporary expectations and standards around gender. Editor: I can appreciate the cultural context, but my eye is drawn to the construction of the figure itself. The way the light catches on the folds of her clothing, the textural contrast between the smooth skin and the coarser fabric...it’s about the process as much as the person. It asks: how can simple gestures and mundane means of painting transcend representation and move towards expressive abstraction? Curator: But can't we see those material explorations themselves as deeply connected to broader power dynamics? Her languid pose, jewelry, the implicit consumption – all are woven into the act of its making. These things weren't plucked from nowhere but echo an elite, aesthetic sensibility which then the artist seeks to materialize. Editor: Absolutely. I agree with you; however, my focus extends further. It invites a critical examination of what we value in art. The painting encourages one to question the role of the artist as craftsman, exploring the space between "fine art" and more work-oriented processes. Curator: I see Pietropoli using figuration in a complex dance that moves beyond simply capturing a likeness. Her very pose evokes classical painting and its relationship to current expectations, prompting discourse about portraiture, the status of women in art history, and modern representations. Editor: I agree. "New Yorkaise I" is both surface and substance, asking viewers to question how and why we make art. It goes further than any superficial examination and seeks an explanation in making. Curator: Precisely, and placing this artwork within a history of figurative portraiture also allows us to examine assumptions around gender, status, and representation, opening a deeper critical discourse. Editor: A discussion best served, perhaps, with a close look at the way each brushstroke lays upon the canvas. Thank you for walking us through that perspective. Curator: Thank you.