Houdon and Coins 2014

Curator: Nelson Shanks painted this still life titled "Houdon and Coins" in 2014, using oil paint to bring an old sculpture strikingly to life. What captures your attention first? Editor: Definitely the tension between the cool, classical bust and the richness of the golden coins and fabrics draped over it. It feels like a collision of different eras and values. Curator: Interesting point. Shank's choice of the bust—a recreation, if you will, of the famous sculptor Houdon’s work—is certainly deliberate. Houdon represented the Enlightenment ideal, and Shank places it here in the present with its contemporary and potentially jarring details. What might those details signify, do you think? Editor: Coins immediately speak of wealth, obviously. The headpiece made of them transforms the bust into something almost pagan or tribal, taking it far from its original austere context. Perhaps a comment on the commodification of even our noblest ideals? Curator: That aligns with the social critique Shanks was often known for. His paintings frequently challenged power structures, particularly within the art world. The setting also seems key: we glimpse hints of an artist's studio. Consider the role museums and the market play in ascribing value. Does encasing art in literal gold cheapen it? Or does it elevate it, immortalize it, and if so, who has that privilege? Editor: Visually, the peacock feather poking out also adds to the mix, invoking vanity, pride… concepts often linked to wealth and status. The coins obscure the statue's original purity and function. We look for a sign or the symbolic essence of wealth but wealth itself obscures understanding. Curator: Indeed, these layers of visual language force a contemporary re-evaluation. Shank isn't simply representing a sculpture. Editor: Not at all. He's asking us to question how we memorialize, how we value—both financially and culturally. An artist contemplating legacies, perhaps? Curator: It seems he is using familiar art historical tropes to invite an unsettling reexamination of the very systems that uphold artistic traditions. Editor: Well, it certainly provides a lot to consider beyond its lovely, photorealistic execution. I find the artist is doing just that by layering and revealing. Curator: I'm glad we spent this time on this thought provoking still life. Editor: Absolutely, there are many ways to view it that create an interesting analysis.