Just another Tuesday

What makes a good portrait? If I were to have my portrait painted, would I prefer a realistic interpretation (likely not!), or an abstract version that captured a deeper, more hidden part of psyche? Lately, I’ve become intrigued by portraits that not only capture a likeness, but portray the messiness that lies under a calm exterior, and “Just another Tuesday” by Joseph Lee is a work that feels… interesting.

A black turtleneck and hair tightly pulled back will always read as severe, prim in a way that seeks to fly under the radar, which aligns with meticulously realistic ears. Yet the tinge of gray on those ears looks like death, and escaped strands of hair indicate not everything is under control. The title say “nothing to see here folks” and the divinely rendered turned down lips give off perfect resting bitch face, no? But the color! Juicy, applied in bold slashes with a palette knife, the face dissolves into abstraction as you close in on it. I can’t even tell you why this works so well for me, as the paint barely describes the planes of the face, and the positioning of where the features “should” be is a slightly off. Maybe that’s what appeals to me. Between those dead ears, lies a cacophony of chaos. Messy, yet understandable, relatable.

You can find more of Joseph Lee‘s work on his website. My first introduction to his work was this painting, seen at an LA art fair, and compared to his other portraits, I feel like this is probably one of his best. I do love the glow that makes it appear backlit (likely an effect from the lighting when I photographed it, as Lee’s backgrounds are often flat color), and of course those lips which say “move along, this is just another Tuesday, I’ve got nothing for you”… which I’m not falling for.

Joseph is also an actor in a well known Netflix series (Beef, you may have heard of it it?), which makes it all the more intriguing that in his art, he chooses to focus on capturing emotion. Follow his instagram at: @joeyunlee