Orange Room 

Curator: Here we have Iwo Zaniewski's "Orange Room," an undated work rendered in pastel. There's a real quiet intensity about it. Editor: Absolutely, it strikes me as contemplative, almost melancholic. The stark white figure against that hazy orange is quite powerful. You can almost feel the chalkiness. Curator: It’s fascinating how Zaniewski uses such limited means to evoke so much. The figure seems almost spectral, present but not fully defined. Editor: Look closely, and you'll see how the material contributes to that feeling. The grain of the paper is so present. This isn’t some grand academic history painting—it’s an intimate moment captured through simple, direct action of hand to surface. Curator: Indeed. One wonders about the subject and the social circumstances around this image. It almost feels like the subject is disappearing. Given expressionistic style, maybe the sitter's likeness is less important than the feeling the "orange room" creates. Editor: And orange...that's not a naturalistic choice. Its the mark of the artist shaping feeling with available pigment. Also, look at the pressure—heavy in some areas, incredibly light in others. See how the pastel bleeds around the edges? Zaniewski is in control, for sure. Curator: Yes. The figure’s position near the window brings the whole institution of "portraiture" to question. So often the powerful have controlled imagery. This subject seems distant, private, as if refusing the artist—or perhaps engaging him with distance and mystery. Editor: It pushes against the preciousness we often associate with pastel, too. It isn't a smooth, finished surface, but almost scratchy. Curator: It really invites you to imagine being in that space, that room, to be as solitary and reflective as this individual seems to be. Editor: A testament to the fact that art making comes first with material engagement, followed by its social impact. It seems there isn’t any limit of what a little color and a great paper support can express!