Riposte 1951

Curator: Boris Taslitzky’s “Riposte,” housed here at the Tate, depicts a scene of chaos at a dock. Editor: The first impression is overwhelming—a swarm of bodies, all rendered with an almost brutal physicality. What am I seeing? Curator: It captures dockworkers fighting back against collaborators in France during the German occupation. The figures are intertwined, a whirlwind of action. Notice the detail given to their clothing, the cobblestones, and even the metal structure in the foreground. Editor: Yes, the corrugated metal. I'm thinking about the scarcity of materials during wartime—it's remarkable he found enough pigment to create such a large painting! It's all about the labor involved, the physical effort of resistance, mirrored by the artist's own effort. Curator: It's a visceral painting, leaving me to question what it means to resist, and what it means to be human in times of inhumanity. Editor: Indeed, it is the sheer force of labor and materials in this work that leaves a lasting impression.