A Humument Cartoon 1970

Curator: Here we have Esq Tom Phillips' "A Humument Cartoon" from the Tate Collections. It's striking, isn't it? A series of panels like a comic strip, full of surreal imagery. Editor: My initial feeling is one of fragmented memory. The pastel colors feel dreamlike, and the snippets of text hint at a story just out of reach. Curator: Phillips’ Humument works are all about taking a Victorian novel and extracting new meanings by painting over and cutting out sections of the page. Editor: It's like he's exhuming buried narratives, giving voice to what was once hidden beneath layers of text. The comic book format gives it a contemporary spin; a fresh, lively take on an older source material. Curator: Exactly. The selection and arrangement of phrases and images create these fascinating juxtapositions. Editor: It's playful, yes, but also a bit haunting. You can sense the original story's presence even as it transforms into something completely new. Well, I'm captivated. Curator: Me too. A rich tapestry of lost and recovered meanings.