XXX Patrick Nagel 056 Patrick Nagel

The artwork presents a stylized portrait of a woman set against a flat, pale blue background. The figure is rendered with sharp, angular lines and a limited color palette – primarily blues, pinks, whites, and blacks – resulting in a graphic, almost illustrative quality. Her skin tone is a cool, muted pink, contrasting sharply with the dark black of her hair, which cascades dramatically across the upper portion of the composition. The hairstyle itself is highly stylized, suggesting movement and dynamism despite its two-dimensional nature.
The woman’s gaze is direct and unwavering; she looks outward with an expression that appears both detached and intensely focused. Her lips are painted a deep pink, adding to her allure while maintaining the overall sense of cool composure. She rests her hands in front of her, fingers elegantly intertwined, further emphasizing a posture of poised control.
Below the portrait, a horizontal band displays month names – Palm, Spring, Life – arranged sequentially. This element introduces a calendar-like structure to the work, suggesting a connection between the depicted woman and the passage of time or perhaps specific moments within it. The placement of these words reinforces the images association with planned schedules and structured existence.
The overall effect is one of calculated elegance and restrained sensuality. Here we see an exploration of idealized beauty filtered through a lens of geometric precision, evoking a sense of detachment and sophistication characteristic of certain design aesthetics prevalent in the 1980s. The work’s starkness and simplicity contribute to its striking visual impact, while the calendar element hints at themes of routine, aspiration, or perhaps even confinement within a predetermined framework.