The Transition 

Curator: Before us is a painting by David Michael Bowers, simply titled, "The Transition." Editor: It's quite a striking composition. The sitters almost seem too contemporary to be rendered in such a classical style. The texture of the foliage behind them provides a dramatic contrast. Curator: Agreed. The meticulous detail applied, especially to the subjects’ clothing, demands attention. Look closely, and you can appreciate the skill invested in depicting the varied fabrics. There's an intriguing interplay between the almost mundane setting—is that a rather ordinary doorway behind them?—and the very careful application of oil paint to canvas. I wonder what informed Bower's choice of materials and this mode of production. Editor: It's an interesting study in portraiture—or what portraiture has become. We’re no longer looking at the landed gentry in their finery, are we? The symbols of status and the mechanisms behind representation have subtly changed. How is Bowers making a statement on the public image of, perhaps, a middle-class family, using the visual vocabulary of the grand portrait? Curator: Excellent point. Bowers, consciously or not, appears to have captured a shifting dynamic. Consider also the relationship between subject and artist: was this a commission, a study, or perhaps something more intimate? Editor: And that curious inclusion of the cat! Pets frequently serve as indicators of social standing, domesticity, even perceived personality. In some periods, lapdogs signify leisure, but this cat has an unkempt and natural presence... as if underscoring the real versus ideal elements. Curator: And its fur appears deliberately… painterly! Let's not forget that the presentation of ‘realness’ in paintings relies heavily on the tools, craft and decisions that inform the artist’s technique. Bowers blurs those edges intriguingly. Editor: Perhaps it is this ambiguity of meaning that constitutes 'The Transition'. I'm left contemplating shifting societal symbols of class, intimacy, and presentation within the historical framework of portraiture. Curator: Indeed, considering the artist's approach to his materials provides such an intriguing view to understanding its cultural dimensions. Thank you.