I Felt Like Lying Down And Remembering It All 

Curator: Let's turn our attention to "I Felt Like Lying Down And Remembering It All," an intriguing painting by Tania Rivilis. What are your immediate thoughts? Editor: The first thing that strikes me is the melancholy. The figure's downcast gaze and the placement of their hands evoke a sense of introspection, almost as if they're shielding their heart. It's intensely personal, wouldn't you say? Curator: Absolutely. I think that sense of intimacy comes across especially because of the contemporary realist style and how it affects portraiture today. By returning to figuration with oil paint, Rivilis asks audiences to reckon with what's always been at stake in a public portrayal. Editor: Indeed. I am struck by the bi-color nature of the attire--the garment itself seemingly divided between dark shadow and light. Considering how dress often performs a public symbolic role in claiming personal identity, I cannot help but notice a doubling and internal separation happening here. Perhaps this figure is caught between roles or selves, stuck in a moment of private reckoning with how to present themselves outwardly. Curator: That's a really astute reading of it. The title reinforces that sense of inward focus, the yearning to retreat into memory. What kind of memory, and how that reflects onto our cultural moment, are pertinent questions to consider here. How does that desire speak to wider societal needs? Editor: Precisely. The red on the hands, perhaps symbolic of something normally hidden now openly expressed in an emotive way? Its almost as though an emotive transformation has just occured. Curator: I find it compelling how Rivilis reframes the conventions of historical portraiture. What were once commissioned displays of power become these quiet, introspective moments. A powerful commentary on selfhood in the modern era. Editor: Yes, it reframes the public act of remembering as private reckoning. So compelling. Curator: Thank you for lending your expertise on this matter. Editor: My pleasure.