Untitled 1971

Editor: Here we have Alma Thomas's "Untitled" from 1971, created with watercolor on paper. I find the strong contrast between the solid, dark block and the colorful stripes quite striking. What's your take on this composition? Curator: Initially, the large field of indeterminate dark hue commands our attention. It offers a sense of depth. How does this expanse interact with the placement, width, and chromatic relationships of the stripes to its right? Editor: It seems to ground the lighter colors somehow, making them pop even more. Does the order of the stripes—brown, blue, black, green, then pink—suggest a certain rhythm, perhaps? Curator: Precisely. The vertical stripes serve to divide and articulate the visual field. Notice, too, that the artist invites the eye to traverse laterally by subtly modulating hue, saturation, and tonality in the arrangement of these lines. Do you discern any implied vectors within the overall design? Editor: Well, the darker hues feel heavier, almost anchoring the composition, while the pink feels like it’s about to float off the page! Is it simply about pure formalism, the balance of these elements? Curator: Undoubtedly. But this also points towards the ineffable relationship between colour and emotional affect that modernism attempts to foreground, revealing both its strength and shortcomings. The artwork exists not simply as the resolution of compositional arrangements, but the irresolution between what we feel and what we perceive. Editor: That’s a great way to put it! I’ll definitely be looking at abstract art a bit differently now. Curator: Indeed, art invites contemplation of the tangible and intangible qualities defining both structure and expression.