Blue Construction 2003

Curator: Here we have Alexander Bogen’s “Blue Construction” from 2003, an acrylic on canvas artwork. Editor: My first impression is the heavy reliance on the color blue. It evokes a moodiness, perhaps even a slight melancholy, but there’s also a compelling sense of structure here that counteracts that. Curator: I’m intrigued by your read of structure. The layering of acrylic paint seems key, building up depth. It speaks to Bogen's method of manipulating a commonplace medium to evoke complex emotions through the build-up of materials themselves. It makes me wonder what kind of tools and gestures created these tactile surfaces? Editor: For me, it is the recurring motif of angular shapes, like shards. In symbolic terms, is Bogen hinting at some fragmented ideal, perhaps, using that monochrome to enforce this idea of something being incomplete? There is one dark shape, that for me is a gash. What sort of emotional rupture is Bogen trying to convey? Curator: The monochrome does reinforce certain interpretations. Considering the date, I wonder if the specific pigments carry meaning, historically? Some blues have associations with the industrial revolution and chemical advancement. In any case, Bogen’s choice in the blue paint certainly affects how we experience the painting materially. Editor: I am intrigued by this combination of simple forms and singular, dominant color. How do these abstract shapes speak to personal or shared memories? Perhaps these forms resonate with urban planning, evoking architectural, almost structural interpretations...I also appreciate your comment on materiality. Curator: In essence, the beauty of "Blue Construction" lies in how Bogen elevates a fundamental material, blue paint, through deliberate construction and careful articulation. Editor: And how Bogen utilizes an evocative array of symbols and imagery, laden with potent emotional, cultural and even psychological reverberations.