Voyage 2013

Curator: Rochelle Blumenfeld created this abstract work titled "Voyage" in 2013, using acrylic paint. It strikes me immediately as an explosion of form and line. Editor: I'm struck by how the angular shapes seem to evoke sails or perhaps fractured glaciers. There is an inherent feeling of both movement and tension, the image seems to yearn to unfold into something more. Curator: The layering of acrylic creates an almost translucent effect in areas, while elsewhere it’s quite dense. Blumenfeld employs a technique of thin washes overlaid with sharper, linear strokes, building a palpable sense of depth. I wonder how the surface texture enhances the viewer’s perception of dynamism. Editor: Absolutely. This contrast between ethereal washes and sharp angles, carries a kind of visual metaphor. These fractured forms speak to journeys and disruptions and how progress is never straightforward, full of unpredictable twists and unexpected obstacles, and also a feeling of being propelled towards some unknown light. Curator: I see what you mean. The formal language evokes not only dynamism but also fragility. Blumenfeld carefully orchestrates the material quality of paint to articulate the complexities inherent in a "voyage" whether physical or metaphysical. Editor: And the symbolic potential inherent in a title such as this expands further still. Perhaps an exploration of the self through abstraction? It hints at the subconscious and the search for meaning within the disarray. It pulls from our shared memory that every new route echoes those of the past while charting something singular. Curator: Yes, it is difficult to ignore that duality: the individual experience framed against something larger. These aren't simple gestures. We see the hand of the artist and the marks left by the labor of applying each layer, the action of scraping the paint, or building up density, giving a tactility which contradicts the ethereal aesthetic. Editor: Precisely, a dialogue between what we encounter and what we build on with it. It prompts further introspection to engage more actively with this "Voyage," within our own individual cultural histories. Curator: Exactly, thank you. It truly prompts introspection around how form and material can signify individual experiences. Editor: Yes, indeed; a rather fitting conclusion.