By Annabel Keenan
Using her own likeness as an alter ego, Natalie Terenzini navigates the complexities of femininity, embracing her discomfort, awkwardness, and vulnerabilities. In richly colored paintings, Terenzini depicts this character in nude and semi-nude states as she engages in candid scenes layered with emotion. She is often on the brink of transformation—nearing tears, having sex, finishing the last puffs of a cigarette—offering an unwavering glimpse into the emotional and physical weight of the in-between moments and nuances of the female experience.
Terenzini’s paintings in “As Good As It Gets” center on the complexities of yearning, a state that can lead to disappointment or fulfillment, or perhaps a mix of both. Each piece seems to capture a specific formative episode in the larger story of the character’s life. The figures’ expressions range from expectant and lustful to melancholic and frustrated. All are earnest and bear their emotions with raw intensity, inviting the audience to relate on a human level. In some, the character looks directly at the viewer as if exposed and self-aware, but also empathetic, reminding the viewer of the awkward, uncomfortable, and charged moments in their own lives.
