Vicente Blasco Ibáñez 2018

Curator: Look at this intriguing portrait! It's titled "Vicente Blasco Ibáñez," created in 2018. It seems to be rendered in oil. There is so much dark color! Editor: That is moody with a touch of… is that suspicion in his eyes? The artist has captured a compelling depth. All that heavy, dark paint seems to smother him a bit, don't you think? Like he's carrying a lot on his shoulders. Curator: The subdued palette and the figure’s formal attire contribute to a sense of dignity and restraint. Notice the crisp white handkerchief; it stands out in that sea of shadows, as a reminder of something luminous under the darker exterior. Editor: I'm drawn to the meticulous detail in his face, how it is a landscape of character! Those eyes are quite alive! I bet he knew what you were thinking, you couldn’t put anything over this fellow. This work reminds us that the past continues to look back at us! I'd love to read his biography, whatever is alluded to here must have made an imprint. Curator: There’s something universally recognizable in that face. Editor: You know, images of men like this always stir in me the strange knowledge we collectively have, they are somehow both distant and relatable to my own understanding of masculinity, a kind of inherited psychology perhaps, not always understood. Curator: Yes, but I believe that the goal here isn’t necessarily to immortalize his individual identity. More to play with notions of human identity in its totality! The viewer projects his or her assumptions onto this solid citizen and asks big questions! Editor: Indeed! The man becomes, in effect, every man, standing for authority and something more, yet nameless, but now unforgettable. Thanks to this fantastic glimpse, by this fine artist!