Composition Kewo 1961

Curator: Looking at Carl Buchheister’s "Composition Kewo" from 1961, one immediately notices the textural intricacy he achieves through mixed-media, including etching and print techniques. What springs to mind when you first view it? Editor: Chaos. Beautiful, delicate chaos, but definitely an unsettling energy. The lines seem to vibrate and the horizontal bars, while grounding the image, feel precariously placed. Like thoughts threatening to unravel. Curator: Ah, that sensation of unraveling is interesting, given Buchheister's background. He navigated a world turned upside down by two World Wars and the rise of abstract expressionism. Those seemingly random lines might reflect the fracturing of established orders, wouldn't you agree? Editor: Absolutely. The image definitely carries that post-war weight, especially coming out of German Expressionism. I see those strong horizontal lines as representing control, a desperate attempt to impose order onto the organic chaos of lines representing life. But those horizontal lines are so imperfect, uneven and wobbly. Curator: Yes, that slight tremor in the lines speaks volumes, doesn't it? And I wonder, are they bars? Are they fences? There is a prison-like feeling created through these geometric figures floating among free-flowing abstract shapes. Perhaps, in some way, representing a lack of physical and/or spiritual mobility? Editor: Precisely! They could also be seen as horizons, layers of experience, yet the lines remain ambiguous. I see musical notations scattered across the surface; a silent, yet visually complex score filled with raw emotion. Curator: An excellent point! Buchheister was deeply involved with music and saw connections between the arts. This piece really does seem to sing on paper with the textured surface adding another layer to the experience. Editor: This has made me look closer, find some patterns and meaning, like uncovering buried secrets in a symphony of visual elements. Curator: Agreed. The apparent dissonance starts to coalesce, like turning up the volume to fully appreciate a very complex song.