Untitled 

Editor: We're looking at an "Untitled" painting by Chronis Botsoglou, seemingly an oil and acrylic work done with impasto. The stark color palette and visible brushstrokes lend a somber, almost ghostly quality to this portrait. What elements of the composition strike you the most? Curator: The manipulation of light and shadow is of principal interest. Observe the sharp contrast; how the darkness behind the subject throws the face into relief, focusing the eye. Do you perceive how this highlights the formal qualities inherent to the construction of the portrait itself, rather than fixating on expressive or narrative potential? Editor: I see what you mean. The broad strokes almost deconstruct the face, yet somehow maintain a likeness. Curator: Precisely. Botsoglou invites us to consider the ontology of the painted image. Is it not intriguing how the abstraction contributes to the portrait's potency? The painting presents an intellectual puzzle—what are the formal conditions for portraiture? How does it function visually? Editor: It's a different approach than realism, even though the tag suggests the artist strives for realistic effects. So, the point isn't necessarily capturing reality, but exploring what makes a portrait a portrait, regardless of likeness? Curator: Precisely. Note the carefully plotted disjunctions that allow the painting to signify *portraiture*. Editor: I never would have considered it from this angle. Now I see there’s a sophisticated structure under that seemingly simple surface. Curator: Understanding this art is about actively seeing—considering form, contrast and the material nature of paint. These all define its presence.