Nush Menna - L’IRRÉMÉDIABLE

THE IRREMEDIABLE Artist: NUSH Menna Title: The Irremediable Year of production: 2026 Technique: oil on canvas Dimensions: 30 × 40 cm Work: original, unique piece Provenance: directly from the artist’s studio Finish: final protective varnish Authenticity: authenticity certificate included, signed by the artist Reference series: Spleen et Idéal – Les Fleurs du mal, ongoing painting project. DESCRIPTION OF THE WORK The Irremediable is an original oil painting on canvas by NUSH Menna, belonging to the early studies of the new painting project Spleen et Idéal, inspired by the poetry collection Les Fleurs du mal (The Flowers of Evil) by Charles Baudelaire. The title echoes the eponymous poem, in which fall, search for light, and the impossibility of escaping one’s condition take on images of intense evocative power. In NUSH Menna’s pictorial reinterpretation, this tension takes shape in a contemporary female visage, suspended between the precision of representation and a deeper psychological dimension. The face emerges from a dark background, almost entirely occupied by the mass of hair. Light cuts diagonally across the flesh tones, brightens the blue of the eyes, and gathers on the lips, leaving part of the figure in shadow. The clenched mouth and direct gaze convey an expression difficult to decipher. The face seems to know something it does not intend to reveal. The painting is created through successive oil layers and fine glazes, with careful study of the color transitions, the translucencies of the flesh, and the distribution of light. The use of very fine brushes enables meticulous rendering of the eyes, eyelashes, lips, and individual strands of hair. Golden highlights crossing the hair introduce subtle variations in light, while the violet of the garment and the small metallic ornaments create further contrasts with the dark areas of the composition. The work combines hyperrealistic sensitivity with Caravaggesque chiaroscuro, reinterpreted through a contemporary aesthetic. CRITICAL NOTE — THE CONTEMPORARY FACE AND BAUDELAIRE In the poem The Irremediable, Charles Baudelaire evokes images of fall, imprisonment, and the impossible search for a way out. In NUSH Menna’s painting, this suggestion is transferred to the human face. The figure bears the signs of its time: makeup, hairstyle, jewelry, the almost photographic naturalism of the features. Yet something in its expression seems to belong to a more ancient dimension. The chiaroscuro construction recalls the tradition of the seventeenth-century portrait. Light shapes the face without fully revealing it; shadow keeps part of the figure inaccessible to the gaze. The precision of detail does not exhaust the meaning of the image. The more the face appears defined, the more its expression remains open to interpretation. The small cross suspended from the ear, the metallic reflections of the necklaces, and the contrast between the blue of the eyes and the depth of the background introduce a visual tension that accompanies the viewer beyond mere likeness. The Irremediable thus becomes a possible contemporary figure of Baudelairean spleen: a luminous presence that seems to intimately know its own darkness. THE PAINTING PROJECT — SPLEEN ET IDÉAL Spleen et Idéal is a new painting project by NUSH Menna, currently in development, inspired by Charles Baudelaire’s poems contained in Les Fleurs du mal. The project stems from the intention to translate some poems from the collection into contemporary pictorial images, without resorting to a literal representation of the texts. Each painting originates from a poem and develops a possible interpretation through the face, the body, color, and light. The visual language favors figurative painting of an hyperrealistic matrix, in which Caravaggesque chiaroscuro meets contemporary aesthetics and sensitivity. The beauty of the face coexists with the unease of the expression. The painterly surface becomes the place where anatomical precision reveals something that eludes description. The small-format works constitute an initial nucleus of original studies, from which larger paintings may later develop. Each study remains, however, an autonomous, original, and unique work. For private collectors, galleries, and enthusiasts of contemporary figurative painting, these works offer the opportunity to acquire a painting belonging to the early phase of a new artistic research. PAINTING TECHNIQUE AND AUTHENTICITY Original and unique work, entirely handmade by the artist in 2026. Oil painting is built through layering, thin glazes, and interventions carried out with brushes of varying fineness. Particular attention is paid to the rendering of the flesh, the transitions between light and shadow, and the detailing of the facial features. The painting surface is finished with a final protective varnish, intended to preserve colors and the depth of the glazes over time. The painting comes directly from the artist NUSH Menna’s studio and is accompanied by a signed authenticity certificate. FRAME AND PRESENTATION The work is offered unframed. Any frames, matting, and settings shown in photographs are for illustrative purposes only and serve to suggest possible display solutions. If the final auction price significantly exceeds the reserve price, the artist may include a simple, harmoniously chosen frame as a gift. Otherwise, the painting will be shipped unframed, carefully protected and rolled inside a rigid tube suitable for transport. SHIPPING AND PACKAGING The work will be prepared with particular care, using protective materials suitable for shipping artworks. Whenever possible, recycled, reused, or recyclable materials will be used to reduce waste and the environmental impact of packaging. The authenticity certificate will accompany the work during shipping. NOTICE ON PHOTOGRAPHS The photographs are taken trying to reproduce as faithfully as possible the colors, brightness, and surface characteristics of the painting. Small color variations may occur due to lighting conditions during shooting, camera characteristics, and different technologies, calibrations, and monitor, smartphone, and tablet settings. The staged images are simulations made solely to suggest possible placements of the work in home, gallery, and exhibition spaces. Frames, mats, furniture, and other elements present in the settings are not included in the purchase, unless otherwise indicated. The dimensions of the painting in the staged images may appear slightly different from reality. For the actual dimensions of the work, rely solely on the measurements stated in this sheet: 30 × 40 cm. ⸻ NUSH Menna — 2026 The Irremediable Original unique work — Oil on canvas Painting project: Spleen et Idéal – Les Fleurs du mal Certificate of authenticity included

Estimation:€4,500

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