‘Do not go gentle into that good night’ 1956

Curator: Here we have Ceri Richards’ ‘Do not go gentle into that good night’, currently residing in the Tate Collections. Editor: It strikes me as profoundly melancholic; the stark black background amplifies the vulnerability of the figure. Curator: Indeed. Richards uses bold horizontal divisions, with the upper register dominated by a radiant, almost ethereal, bird juxtaposed against a more somber, earth-toned lower section. Editor: That bird, surely a symbol of the soul's release, or perhaps a guardian angel hovering. The poem by Dylan Thomas, from which the title is derived, deals with resisting death. Does Richards portray acceptance or struggle? Curator: The composition hints at both. The figure's contorted posture and muted colors suggest a surrender, yet the bird's upward trajectory defies gravity, offering a counterpoint. Editor: Richards leaves us with ambiguity, then. A potent meditation on mortality, resisting easy answers. Curator: Precisely. The painting offers a structure of binaries and unresolved tensions that provoke deep contemplation.