Case Work 2018

Aaron Nagel made this painting, titled "Case Work," using oil paints to capture the texture and fall of fabric. Nagel’s decision to focus so intensely on textiles draws attention to the labour involved in their production. The canvas is filled with folds and creases, which seem to have a life of their own. Look closely, and you can see how Nagel has painstakingly layered the paint to create subtle shifts in color and tone. This is not just about representing fabric, it is about celebrating the materiality of cloth, its weight and drape. Oil painting has a long and rich history, closely tied to Western art traditions, but Nagel updates this history by engaging with contemporary aesthetics. The title, "Case Work," is a play on words, suggesting both a case study and the hard work of producing this image. Ultimately, Nagel elevates the ordinary, and asks us to consider the ways in which our lives are shaped by the material world around us.