Autumn forest 1978

Curator: Looking at "Autumn Forest," painted by Endre Bartos in 1978 using acrylics, I'm immediately struck by its intensity. It's as though the forest is ablaze with color. Editor: It does radiate an unusual energy, doesn't it? The vibrant reds and oranges certainly grab your attention, but there's also this layer of unease. The colors are so heightened, it almost feels apocalyptic rather than serene. I find the trees and other forest elements feel symbolic, if not familiar. Curator: Perhaps that tension speaks to the political climate of the late '70s. Consider how landscape painting historically offered a means to reflect upon national identity, even amidst internal discord. The raw expressiveness here seems deliberately disruptive to conventional landscape aesthetics, challenging any notion of idyllic beauty. It resonates with other artistic gestures of the period questioning institutional power through subversive acts of aesthetic departure. Editor: I see the organic subject in this piece reaching back centuries. I wonder, do the almost violent slashes of color connect back to ancient concepts, where the changing of seasons was intrinsically linked to themes of sacrifice and rebirth? And doesn't this frenetic style recall images of pagan rituals? Curator: Fascinating interpretation! It underscores how abstract gestures still retain capacity to resonate in public life. Art doesn’t exist solely in vacuums but constantly interacts both inside institutional structures but also as historical reverberations in cultural memory! Editor: And it also highlights how even seemingly 'natural' subjects, like a forest, are imbued with layers of symbolism, reflecting our ongoing dialogue with the natural world, culture, and each other. I will view forests differently going forward! Curator: Agreed, art challenges viewers to look more closely, ask fundamental questions, and view art from multiple levels to enrich society, institutions, and public thinking!