Oya’s Betrayal 2020

Editor: Harmonia Rosales' oil painting, "Oya's Betrayal," created in 2020, immediately strikes me as a reinterpretation of a classical scene with a fresh perspective. The use of color and the composition seem to tell a story, but I am interested in what is the main narrative driving the artist? How do you interpret this work? Curator: The painting is demonstrably concerned with formal relationships of color, composition and balance. The initial structure begins with the rule of thirds—an accepted method of developing pleasing artworks—and the eye travels left to right through the distinct groups of figures, with particular attention given to the tonal qualities in their drapery, especially as the figures’ gestures relate to the surrounding visual space. The figures with the gold nimbuses appear to establish dominance within the painting. What relationships can you derive from the geometric and volumetric structure? Editor: I notice the patterns on the cloth, and the arrangement of the figures, but the two babies at the lower left and right corners of the composition strike me as perhaps the most unique feature in relation to canonical history paintings. Also, how do you see the arch framing the entire picture adding to its structural coherence? Curator: Indeed. Note the curve of the arch echoes the curvature of the halos. Additionally, the fall of the cloth on the figure to the far left appears to create the most kinetic energy, while the others establish more static points of reference, which establishes formal contrasts and therefore more variety in a viewing experience. But tell me, how do those aspects contribute to your emotional reading? Editor: Well, knowing now how meticulously each element has been placed, I am getting a stronger sense of deliberate storytelling in this composition. Perhaps there are subtle but profound meanings, as revealed through the details of execution that might not appear upon the initial viewing. Curator: Indeed, that seems a suitable conclusion. We must look to both intention and execution, or at least be cognizant of their interplay, as key tools of interpretation.