The Competition c. 1980

Curator: Well, what a striking image. This is "The Competition" by Robert Peak, painted circa 1980. It’s quite the dynamic cityscape painting. Editor: Dynamic indeed! My immediate sense is… melancholy? There’s a wistful quality, amplified by that dominant purple hue, a visual minor chord. Curator: That purple definitely sets the mood, doesn't it? I am struck by the symbolic positioning of the figures: The couple looming like a shared fantasy, with the lone man foregrounded—separate and contemplative on a lonely walk through a dimly lit, late-night city. Think about what it is saying. Editor: Exactly. Berets, the pose of the lone man, and that overall romantic atmosphere...It reminds me of posters promoting late 70s and early 80s romantic comedies, when old Hollywood tropes where making a strong come back. And this feeling is sustained by a painting technique akin to that employed in movie posters. Is it a commentary on performance, on reality versus expectation in relationships? Curator: Possibly, it mirrors our collective consciousness surrounding romance in visual media, absolutely. The berets evoke old bohemia. Then there's that man. He's walking away. Observe how small he is compared to the background elements that loom above, indicating emotional alienation or vulnerability amid societal expectations. It’s quite psychologically dense for such a seemingly straightforward piece. Editor: I agree. The city backdrop acts as a stage. Are these lovers meant to be objects of his longing or perhaps symbols of what he must relinquish in pursuit of success or ambition represented by the "competition" mentioned in the title? Or perhaps the figures are memories—spectral yet vivid. Robert Peak seems to be using the romantic form of the period as a device to tell of something less pretty. Curator: The very technique employed also reflects this ambiguity. Note the softness and near-blurring around edges. The almost Romantic treatment softens and generalizes individual elements while hinting toward intense, subjective emotions, anxieties surrounding modern social roles perhaps? Editor: So it seems—a piece that works beautifully at portraying a melancholic sentiment on screen, even through painting. Curator: And yet, behind the easy access to our feelings about Romance movies, it cleverly hides its commentary on individual social anxiety behind this soft painting! Editor: Absolutely. A thought-provoking work that speaks volumes about romantic, but perhaps most especially modern, existence.