Il Fiume II 1971 - 1972

Curator: Here we have Graham Sutherland's "Il Fiume II," currently housed in the Tate Collections. The image measures 636 by 483 millimeters. Editor: Woah, it's moody, isn't it? Like a still life plunged into a nightmare. All that yellow and black, such sharp angles, yet also this melting, organic feel. Curator: Indeed. Sutherland, born in 1903, often explored the surreal undercurrents of nature, particularly during and after the Second World War. His work often touched upon themes of trauma. Editor: Trauma…yes, I can see it. It's like beauty contorted, or perhaps beauty discovered in a contorted state. Like finding something precious amidst wreckage. Curator: Precisely. We might consider how Sutherland's wartime experiences, especially his commissions to depict bomb damage, shaped his ability to find poignancy in the grotesque. Editor: It almost feels celebratory in a strange way? Like a dark carnival. Makes me wonder if he found some sort of release in confronting difficult themes. Curator: Sutherland's work resonates with post-war anxieties and the search for new forms of expression. It invites us to confront uncomfortable truths and find beauty in unexpected places. Editor: It's a haunting piece. It lingers.