Frumenti (working title also Propulsion) 1955

Editor: This is Bernard Childs’ 1955 etching titled *Frumenti*, also known as *Propulsion*. Looking at it, I see a dark, almost chaotic energy, like particles colliding in space. The composition feels dense and restless. What sort of imagery or symbolism strikes you? Curator: The title *Frumenti* is intriguing. It derives from *frumentum*, the Latin word for grain, and this suggests ideas about origins, nourishment, and abundance, and maybe even a sort of violent propagation of new life. Do you see that potential tension between darkness and creation? Editor: Yes, definitely! The marks almost look like seeds scattering or some kind of explosive growth against that deep black backdrop. So, is the medium, etching, adding anything to this? Curator: Absolutely. The etched lines, so fine and yet so insistent, create a web of association. Consider how the abstract expressionists grappled with anxieties in the atomic age by expressing primal energies with an immediacy of gesture. Does that context change how you interpret the mark making here? Editor: It does, it makes me think about atomic structures. Knowing that *Frumenti* is also titled *Propulsion*, do you think these symbols represent scientific notions about progress? Curator: Perhaps, but it could also be about the psychological effect that that era had on our shared unconscious, which can manifest through archetypal imagery and mark-making in any medium. Does this provide an emotional and cultural layer for you? Editor: Yes! It’s amazing how a seemingly abstract work can carry such a load of meaning. I am really inspired by this work to think about the multiple ways to relate symbolism with a social setting. Curator: Absolutely! Hopefully you can begin to unpack layers of symbols and emotional baggage with this new tool.