Tides 2005

Editor: Here we have Claudio Castillo’s “Tides,” an acrylic on canvas from 2005. The composition is quite striking. I’m really drawn to the division of the painting into distinct horizontal bands – land, water, something that almost resembles city ruins, then sky – each layer almost a world unto itself. How do you interpret this work? Curator: It strikes me as a visual poem about cycles and contrasts. Look at how the full moon, typically a symbol of completion and clarity, hangs over a sky rendered with turbulent blues, suggestive of the subconscious or emotional unrest. Then, consider the band that appears to represent ruins; perhaps it’s Castillo’s way of depicting the ebb and flow of civilizations, reflecting the inevitable passage of time, something that also speaks to the symbolism in the phases of the moon. What about the moon in the top band and the orb in the lower? Editor: I see what you mean, but I'm less certain about the ruins. The two orbs, one at the top of the painting, and one at the bottom... I wonder, are they connected? Do they relate to the overall theme? Curator: Consider that the moon, for millennia, has been linked with lunacy and the ebb and flow of human emotions. That darker sphere could suggest something unearthed, a buried emotional state reflecting that, tying the lunar cycle to the cycle of psychological understanding or perhaps even hidden truths finally being revealed to oneself. Editor: That’s fascinating! So, it’s not just about literal tides but maybe emotional and historical ones, too. Thanks, that’s given me a lot to consider. Curator: Indeed, symbols are always moving, as in tides. The piece truly rewards contemplative viewing.