Festive Rite 

Curator: Here we have Walter Miller Askin’s striking print, "Festive Rite." It seems to be primarily an ink drawing, exploring figuration and abstraction simultaneously. Editor: My first impression is one of subdued drama. The stark contrast between the blacks and whites creates an almost theatrical stage for these abstract figures. It’s brooding and celebratory, contradictory. Curator: The title, "Festive Rite," is key. Askin was working in a period deeply affected by the aftermath of war and the burgeoning Civil Rights movement. How do you see the socio-political mood affecting a so-called festive piece? Editor: I see a ritual, yes, but one cloaked in shadows. Look at the geometric shapes combined with recognizable objects. Aren't they almost totemic? Reminiscent of pre-Christian symbols? Askin appears to draw from something primal, something universal embedded in our collective consciousness. Curator: And those visual objects hint at ceremony, don't they? Perhaps something secular echoing formal traditions, made abstract. The Abstract Expressionists were particularly interested in psychoanalytic theory; does the visual vocabulary point toward an exploration of individual expression? Editor: Absolutely. The blots, the spontaneous strokes of ink, feel deeply personal, even vulnerable. But consider the very idea of ritual; aren’t rituals about communal participation and shared cultural values? Curator: It's that interplay of the individual and collective experience that I think Askin masterfully captured. The abstraction pushes us beyond literal representation, allowing space for subjective interpretation of societal roles. It's fascinating how this print prompts a critical look at shared human practices. Editor: A society's rites speak volumes about what a society holds sacred, whether solemn or joyful. Askin uses the language of Abstract Expressionism to question the continuity of cultural memory. Seeing those elements juxtaposed is thought provoking. Curator: Indeed. It also opens up to questions around which artists and works get validated, and in what way; what does it mean for "Festive Rite" to be deemed worthy and how does that affect readings of similar works in our present? Editor: Well, it reminds me that art is never truly finished. Our conversations, interpretations, and cultural shifts are an integral part of what completes the artwork.