Astute and Attentive by Matthew Sandager

CURATOR'S NOTE

Wry and elegant, Astute and Attentive turns a candid glance into an icon. Against a dense night-black field, a single form rises on the diagonal—confident, almost heraldic—before softening into watercolor bloom and the warm, scribbled ground below. 

WHY THIS WORK

A razor-clean composition, diagonal thrust against bold negative space, that energizes.

Graphic clarity balanced with watercolor softness; erotic and affectionate rather than loud.

A quintessential entry into Sandager’s language of everyday intimacy and sly symbolism.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Matthew Sandager is a local Fire Island artist—he summers in Cherry Grove and the Pines—whose practice translates domestic Polaroids into crisp, intimate watercolors. The results are small emblems of queer life: succinct, funny, and deeply felt.

DETAILS

Artist: Matthew Sandager
Title: Astute and Attentive
Year: 2025
Medium: Watercolor on paper
Dimensions: 6 × 6 in.
Edition: Unique work
Signature: Signed and dated
Framing: Unframed
Provenance: The Visitors Center; directly from the artist.

STATUS

Available. To discuss framing or to preview related works from Sandager’s studio, please inquire.