Nigel and Maud Gosling 1972

Curator: Barry Flanagan, born in 1941, created "Nigel and Maud Gosling." What strikes you about it? Editor: Its starkness. The bare lines, almost like a diagram, create an unsettling, clinical feel. Curator: The sketch-like quality could signify the ephemeral nature of relationships, or perhaps the artist's fleeting impression of these figures. Notice the dangling lightbulb. Editor: Yes, the lightbulb contributes to the sense of exposure, as if the subjects are being scrutinized. The minimal strokes forming their hands are particularly interesting. Curator: Perhaps the bare hands show vulnerability, their connection to the world stripped down to its essence. Flanagan often imbued everyday objects with layered meaning. Editor: It's a study in reduction, isn't it? Reducing form to evoke raw emotion. Curator: Indeed, it prompts reflection on how much we reveal, and conceal, through the simplest representations. Editor: A fascinating look into the power of suggestion and what can be achieved with so little.