Pegasus--1945 1945

Curator: Here we have Leo Katz’s etching from 1945, titled “Pegasus—1945”. It’s a striking example of his graphic work from that period. Editor: My initial feeling? A glorious controlled chaos. It's as though Pegasus is exploding into geometric shards. I get this sense of intense, almost overwhelming, energy. Curator: It's interesting you say exploding because Katz created this piece at the close of World War II. Considering the political context and rise of fascism during that era, do you think the image might reflect a broader sense of conflict? Editor: Absolutely, the war years seep into everything. But I also sense something triumphant, doesn't the mythology of Pegasus point to hope, resilience even? That bold, graphic style suggests a bursting through constraints to take to the sky. Curator: Exactly! Think about the rise of modernist art during wartime—many artists rejected traditional forms and explored abstraction as a way of commenting on socio-political issues. So while the visual cacophony may feel like chaos, the image may represent overcoming oppressive forces, emerging transformed from historical trauma. Editor: I love that. There’s also a beauty in how Katz renders this almost surreal scene— the contrasting textures. He captures the delicate feathered wings against those harsh geometrical shards, playing lightness against darkness... a battle between the idyllic and brutal. Curator: Yes! Katz masterfully employs the graphic print to make complex ideas accessible. He draws from modernist style to reimagine how to tell classical myths at pivotal moment in global history. Editor: So, stepping back. We’re not just looking at some random drawing of a winged horse. We're invited into conversation between the artist's past, a war-torn present, and a collective yearning to rise above destruction, rendered by Pegasus... Curator: Precisely. Katz creates a Pegasus that grapples with historical complexities, urging us to remember the weight of the past in how we dream the future. Editor: I am leaving with more questions than answers, but also I have such a buzz from how alive I feel considering it all. What a gift.