The Artifice 1981

Editor: Here we have Sandro Chia's "The Artifice," a print from the Tate collection. It feels almost dreamlike, this shadowy figure pulling a…rabbit? What do you make of this curious scene? Curator: It’s like a half-remembered folktale, isn't it? Chia often plays with archetypes. Notice the almost primitive mark-making, a conscious decision to side-step polish for something more raw and evocative. Editor: Raw indeed! It looks almost unfinished, like a sketch. Curator: Exactly! And maybe that’s the point. Artifice implies trickery, a constructed reality. Perhaps Chia is hinting that even the most seemingly spontaneous art is, in fact, carefully crafted. What do you think? Editor: I think I need to rethink my snap judgements. Thanks! Curator: My pleasure. It always pays to look beneath the surface!