Personnage 1945

Editor: Here we have Robert Motherwell’s "Personnage," painted in 1945 using oil paint. There’s a certain starkness to the simple geometric forms, a tension created by the brown background that really holds my attention. What is your read on this piece? Curator: Given the socio-political climate of 1945, right after the end of World War II, it’s difficult not to interpret this stark "Personnage" within a broader context of existential questioning and anxiety. The geometric, almost totemic form emerges, or maybe even struggles, from a seemingly muddy background. This echoes the broader European intellectual landscape and the exploration of new art forms through automatism that later shaped Abstract Expressionism. What aspects of the war experience do you think might resonate with the style emerging here? Editor: That's fascinating! The idea that these shapes might be symbolic of the human form in the face of chaos hadn’t occurred to me, though I do see that reflected in similar works by contemporaries of his. So you are saying the politics surrounding art actually contextualize our view and experience with a particular work? Curator: Absolutely. Even abstraction has socio-political roots and consequences. Museums choose which artists to support and show, collectors decide what’s valuable and visually-driven publications often serve as arbiters of what’s in or out. Those processes can create very powerful movements. Are there institutions or social forces that you think affect abstract work today? Editor: Wow, I'd never really considered how influential social constructs can be to a simple shape and line! Curator: Right? Abstraction might appear divorced from social reality, but it can act as both an assertion and a refusal shaped by society. Editor: Thanks; I now have a very different perception of "Personnage" and abstract expressionism more broadly!