Julie 2015

Curator: What an intriguing piece. This is "Julie," a watercolor portrait by Sofia Bonati, created in 2015. The artist experiments with figuration in a way that merges intimacy with almost a caricature-like quality. Editor: Well, hello there, Julie! She looks like she just flew in from a particularly fashionable moth convention. Seriously though, I adore the softness. It feels incredibly gentle and just a tiny bit melancholic. Curator: Indeed. Considering the materials, we're looking at watercolor on what seems to be handmade paper, judging by the texture. This choice of medium significantly influences the final piece, emphasizing fluidity, but also introducing unpredictability. Bonati is really using watercolor’s innate characteristics. Editor: It’s like Bonati lets the watercolor be itself, doesn’t she? Rather than wrestling it into submission. The washes of pink are beautiful and they contrast interestingly with the bold graphic elements of the moth wings. Gives a kind of edgy-sweetness, doesn't it? Curator: Precisely. It challenges the perception of portraiture itself. Portraits aren’t merely records, but the interaction of Bonati and Julie’s persona. And in looking at the medium, the process itself is the source of the art’s final emotional impression on the viewer. I see watercolor's history here as the intersection of feminine artistry intersecting high-craft processes of production. Editor: Oh, absolutely! She's whispering secrets through color and form. It makes you wonder, doesn’t it, what inner transformations "Julie" has fluttered through. Maybe that’s over the top…but this portrait definitely invites imagination. It feels like a story half-told, waiting for you to invent the ending. Curator: And to wrap up, "Julie" showcases the intriguing space where material and medium really push the conventional boundary of intimate portraits, asking us to consider how social elements of material production help us determine what a portrait *can be*. Editor: So, we’re left with a moth-woman enigma wrapped in watercolor wishes! What could be better? I know this image will flutter about in my mind for quite a while.