Summer 

Curator: So, let’s spend a few minutes with this captivating portrait, "Summer" by Sarah Joncas. Immediately, what strikes you about this piece? Editor: Those sunglasses! They give her an almost otherworldly vibe. Despite the title "Summer," there’s a hint of something other than carefree happiness here. Maybe it's the serious gaze? Or those flowers – almost like offerings or a protective halo. Curator: Absolutely, those glasses and the way the light hits create this layer of opacity and surrealism to the woman in the frame. As the name suggests, there's so much traditional symbolism associated with summertime represented here: flowers intertwined in her hair with all the classic types representing different aspects of love, alongside a hovering hummingbird! It's all tied up beautifully in her pink tinted blonde locks too, the pinks here a powerful statement in reclaiming feminine representation. Editor: The hummingbird! I missed it at first. In many cultures, hummingbirds are messengers, aren’t they? Often carrying wisdom from the spirit world, a symbol for vitality and renewal. Interesting juxtapositions, vitality alongside a kind of solemn observation. There's the very directness of the painting: we're presented head on, full gaze with the subject's perspective dominant as a composition tool. It has a compelling effect, as though there is an interaction taking place on her own terms rather than one imposed by the artist, or perhaps even ourselves as viewers. Curator: Spot on! And the surrounding darkness is an interesting paradox too! Whilst Sarah Joncas leans into feminist romanticism here, you might consider her contemporary subjects like powerful interpretations of figures and concepts in other periods of art, almost icon-like, reclaiming that space by modernizing it. Editor: So much detail crammed in, so skillfully executed with oil paint too. Almost photorealistic with all the nuances of tones, with the hint of romanticism elevating and imbuing it. It is compelling. Curator: Right, there's this timelessness, almost classical blended with a modern sensibility, and these flowers, each holds an invitation for interpretation if you choose to allow them in. I’m glad we took a closer look at it. Editor: Me too, a deceptively simple image, laden with meaning once you let it unfold. I keep coming back to the flowers and the glasses; so intriguing.