Smythe #6 2011

Lu Cong created Smythe #6 with oil on canvas. Oil paint allows for incredible detail and subtle gradations of tone, as we can see in the subject’s pale skin and simple white shirt. But oil paint is also slow, and requires an incremental, layer-by-layer approach. The smooth surface of the canvas allows the paint to sit on its surface, almost as a skin, giving the portrait its characteristic ethereal feel. The amount of work involved in the production process is considerable, with multiple layers of paint carefully applied to create this hyperreal likeness. We might even read the woman’s blank expression as exhaustion, mirroring the labor that went into the painting. In considering Smythe #6, the intense labor and skill invested in the painting challenges traditional distinctions between fine art and craft.