Angels 1988

This ethereal gathering of 'Angels' by Adriana Varejão is a dreamscape in creamy whites and hazy browns. I imagine Varejão building up the composition, like a sculptor with paint, coaxing these figures from the canvas. There's such a push and pull here, between representation and abstraction, that I can almost feel Varejão wrestling with the image. The faces emerge from the background like apparitions; some are clearly defined while others are just suggestions. Look at that slash of crimson that appears to be a sash or length of cloth. It pulls your eye through the composition. Varejão’s work often deals with the body and its fragmented representation. In the company of other painters past and present, Varejão is in an ongoing conversation about the nature of painting itself, its capacity to represent and, crucially, its power to evoke something deeply felt.