All Across II 2013

Aaron Nagel created this oil painting, All Across II, in the twenty-first century. Nagel is a contemporary realist painter, whose work often centers around figurative depictions of women. Here, the artist creates meaning through the visual codes of portraiture, such as pose, costume, and setting. The woman's partially undressed state, combined with the gold jewelry and indistinct black background, may allude to the objectification of women. One possible reading of the image could be that the woman is reflecting on this objectification. The cultural history of Western art provides us with many examples of the male gaze, and Nagel's painting seems to be contributing to this conversation. In order to fully understand the artist's intentions, one may study other works by the artist, delve into historical records, and explore the socio-political context in which this artwork was made. This painting exemplifies how art can be used to critique the institutions of its time.