Under The Pier 

Curator: Let’s take a look at Danny Galieote's "Under the Pier," a painting rendering the life beneath, well, a pier. Editor: Wow, what a scene! It's like stepping into a hazy, sun-drenched memory. The figures are so real, so unposed. There is a sort of collective and yet individual feeling here...it makes you wonder what each is thinking. Curator: Precisely. It captures a particular social landscape and raises the question: how can art challenge these boundaries between public and private space? These aren't archetypes; they're representations of a certain class at leisure, suggesting issues of access and shared space. What are your thoughts? Editor: I think the use of oil paint grounds this piece in an artistic realism and familiarity while the scene itself pulls in the chaos and casualness that any summer beach setting creates. There is that nostalgic air that only oil paint can help create—almost a vintage postcard kind of feel— but it also feels entirely contemporary. It evokes summer memories! Curator: Absolutely. Looking closer at his technique, it’s interesting how he contrasts the solidity of the pier’s wooden structure with the transient, almost ethereal quality of light on the figures, who are all arranged almost photographically. The use of oil paint adds another dimension to this. It reminds us about access to fine art, materials and even subjects in fine art, and who these avenues were originally closed off to. Editor: You're so right. The textures of the wood are rough-hewn. And all that is contrasted with the smooth skin, which almost appears hyperrealistic! It all really does create a sense of social realism—the working class relaxing but never forgetting to keep an eye out for family. In that case, there's nothing "superficial" at all. Curator: Precisely! We observe the tools, production of materials, and ultimately, an engagement with societal hierarchies of "leisure". In that regard, a lot to unpack, but very illuminating nonetheless. Editor: A great work—I leave wanting to observe it in person even more. I guess you might say that is what it's all about in the end, right? A little curiosity and something to chew on...