Pale Blue II by Jules Olitski

1970

Pale Blue II

Listen to curator's interpretation

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Curatorial notes

Curator: Here we have Jules Olitski's Pale Blue II, a work held here at the Tate. Editor: Oh, wow, it’s so... calming. Like staring into a perfectly still, pale blue lake on a hazy summer day. Curator: Olitski's color field paintings often evoke the sublime, tapping into our collective memories of nature and vast open spaces. Editor: It’s true. I feel a sort of quiet awe. But also, I can’t help but wonder, is that all there is? Just the color? Curator: The simplicity is the point. He wants us to focus on the sensation of color itself, stripped of narrative. It’s about pure feeling, wouldn’t you say? Editor: I guess I’m always searching for something hidden, a secret whispered beneath the surface. But maybe the secret is just the feeling itself. Curator: Indeed, it’s a painting about being present, immersed in the moment of perception. Editor: A good reminder, actually. I think I needed that breath of blue.