Emma 2013

Editor: This is "Emma," a 2013 oil painting by Nick Alm. The brushwork is so loose and expressive. It almost feels unfinished in places, which gives the work a raw, intimate feeling. What stands out to you about it? Curator: I immediately think about the materiality of oil paint itself. Alm is clearly interested in the *stuff* of paint - its texture, its ability to be manipulated. Notice how he uses thin washes in some areas, and thick impasto in others, almost highlighting the different layers of work that were created. This emphasis on the paint challenges our notion of traditional portraiture where illusionism reigns. Editor: So, you're saying it’s not just *who* is painted, but *how* it's painted that matters here? Curator: Exactly. Think about the labor involved. The artist's hand is so present in the final image. We see the marks of its making. Where was this painting made? In a studio? En Plein Air? And also who does the model represent. It isn’t the nobility and aristocracy from the 1800s, is it? What class and or racial lines is Nick Alm playing with in his painting practice? It disrupts any easy reading of the subject's identity and forces us to consider the process and conditions of its production. What implications would these questions create with an image of a figure relaxing against their arm? Editor: That makes me see it in a whole new light! It's not just a pretty picture, but an object loaded with artistic intention and the historical legacy of oil painting. The materiality subverts the medium's representational qualities. Curator: Precisely! Thinking about the social and material context gives the painting a richness that goes beyond the surface. Editor: I'll never look at a portrait the same way again!