A Favorite Poem 

Curator: Let's turn our attention to Joseph Lorusso’s painting, “A Favorite Poem.” It depicts a woman reclining on a couch, engrossed in a book. Editor: A portrait of perfect domestic bliss. I immediately feel a sense of quiet contemplation emanating from her, that striped wallpaper almost humming with stillness. Curator: Indeed. And if you look closely, you'll notice how the artist renders the fabrics, the textures of the upholstery – the loose weave of the cushions contrasting with the smooth surface of the book itself. He employs a visibly painterly style, I wonder if he relies on a traditional underpainting technique? Editor: Observe her pose, how she’s almost nestling into the cushions. Books, traditionally, are gateways to knowledge, wisdom, escape—and her posture speaks of someone completely absorbed by their narrative power, shielded and comforted. Perhaps that's reflected in the image of home. Curator: Note the scale here. This isn't a grand, imposing portrait. Its size contributes to its intimate, almost genre-painting feel, drawing the viewer into a private moment. It speaks to a broader trend of accessibility in artmaking. It is interesting how art historical genres resurface throughout artistic movements. Editor: The red accents of the cushions beneath her contribute a subliminal symbolism, suggesting both passion and a grounded comfort. Color and fabric play together to create tension between those symbols. It contrasts with the rather muted tones of her garments, all deepening the introspective mood. Curator: Absolutely, and one might also consider the consumption aspect here, too, of both the text itself, and its relation to interior decoration in the mise-en-scène, the painting itself also becomes a part of that transaction between artist and viewer. What part do you feel Lorusso's Realist technique plays? Editor: I’m reminded of other paintings in art history that show a figure enthralled by their own thoughts. The quiet dignity is a constant motif across visual art as well as literature. Lorusso has added to the archive of those visual allegories in contemporary art. Curator: Precisely, the cyclical re-emergence of historical icons, both literally represented and abstractly gestured toward! I leave this painting having re-evaluated artistic influence. Editor: I leave pondering how objects reflect the deeper connections in life.