SILENT STREAM 1977

Curator: Initially, I am struck by the vibrant, almost aggressively applied pastels—the work seems to vibrate. Editor: Today, we’re looking at “Silent Stream” by Jaroslav Keluc, a pastel and frottage drawing created in 1977. Curator: Frottage, interesting. It seems Keluc used texture not for mimetic purposes, but to heighten the overall energy. Editor: Keluc here crafts a compelling interplay between representation and abstraction, something Expressionism does remarkably. The "Silent Stream" evokes a very strong, if chaotic, feeling of woodland serenity, doesn't it? Curator: Serenity is the last thing I would associate with this. The density of application, the juxtapositions of colour—there's a feverish quality, almost a sense of suffocation beneath all that green. Editor: I see it as more layered—not merely a landscape, but an emotional rendering of a landscape. Note how the path subtly pulls us through it—an invitation perhaps, or perhaps a mirroring of our internal pathways. The layering also invokes the continuous, often-untidy cultural relationship to the natural world around us. Curator: It’s a powerful evocation, either way, I see the intensity. Perhaps Keluc wanted to suggest the underlying anxieties we feel when trying to tame nature. The bright colors seem to almost belie the traditional idea of ‘pastoral peace’. Editor: Indeed, a rather fitting notion. I think Keluc's choices certainly stimulate dialogue around our projections and assumptions. Thank you, it has been thought-provoking. Curator: Likewise. It's a reminder that our interpretation of the artwork stems from personal perspective as much as technique.