Erotic 

Curator: I'm immediately drawn to the sharp geometry, how the severe lines are softened, almost embraced by that creamy off-white, and of course, the deep reds... reminds me of tectonic plates, but about to, well, *not* collide! Editor: The work you're referring to is simply entitled, *Erotic*, by the Greek artist Yiannis Moralis. Looking at its production within a mid-century European context, Moralis engages with a language of geometric abstraction that moves between the personal and the universal. Curator: Right, so, abstraction…but “erotic”? That seems… almost coy. Look, I get a primal hum from it, like looking at a suggestive shadow puppet show. What are the actual materials at play? Is this about the making? Editor: Exactly! Moralis meticulously layered his materials—likely oil or tempera on canvas, though details of his precise process remain debated. What matters is how this meticulous layering mimics both the tensions and subtle frictions we encounter through the lens of geometric abstraction. Curator: I can dig that… the surface feels almost… manufactured, precise and hard-edged. I would guess it is an attempt to use those specific materials in novel ways. Do you think his cultural upbringing had something to do with all those triangles in there? It seems very mathematical! Editor: Potentially, there's definitely an architectural and even industrial dialogue happening here, a tension between handcrafted and mass-produced. Thinking of line, color, and shape, we're considering a dance, the material is simply a recording of this expression... or something completely else... Curator: Hmm, and speaking of records, I'd bet this caused quite the sensation back in the day… a lot of buttoned-up pearl clutching over abstracting something "erotic." Today, I think the painting, precisely because of that coyness, reveals more about desire than some bombastic nude. The real art here, as always, is invitation! Editor: Invitation, but also commentary—a statement on artmaking, consumption, even labour. The abstraction here serves a concrete function beyond pure aesthetics. Curator: A bold claim for simple shapes. This has definitely invited me to think differently, especially now, to consider this “Erotic” image for its lines and labor as well.