All That Glitters 2008

Nelson Shanks made this oil painting, All That Glitters, at an unknown date. Look at the details of this scene, every object rendered with the same care. You get the feeling that this wasn’t just a painting of a nude, but a painting *about* painting a nude. There's something intimate about the way Shanks has painted the model. The way her body is positioned, leaning casually against the gilded frame, almost daring you to look. What was it like for her, standing there as Shanks worked? Did she ever feel like she was on display, or was it a collaboration, a shared experience? But I'm also drawn to the objects surrounding her – the easel, the rug, the ornate gold frame, the random shoes and can on the floor. They remind me of all the other artists who came before him, all the painters who have wrestled with the same questions and challenges. There’s an artist's statuette on the floor – maybe this guy was thinking about art history as he made this. It's like they're all in conversation with each other, across time.