Atlantique IV 1991

Curator: So calming! The watery blues sort of wash over you, don’t they? It’s like staring out at the horizon on a hazy day. Editor: Indeed. We’re looking at "Atlantique IV", an acrylic on canvas completed in 1991 by French artist Geneviève Asse. Curator: I can almost smell the sea air! It’s funny, such a simple composition, essentially just rectangles within rectangles, but it resonates. It has this quiet strength. Is that the ocean you think, in that palette? Or is it the idea of ‘horizon’ beyond all oceans and earthly tethers, that color evokes... or does something this stripped down evoke anything tangible for you? Editor: Asse often explored color and light, so your reaction isn't surprising. She reduced form to its essence—horizontal lines, variations in tone—but within that, she opened space for nuanced interpretations. It’s also useful to reflect on the history of abstraction itself, emerging out of intensely felt needs to visualize what is inarticulable through language... to gesture at the unspeakable. So "the sea," in that case, could symbolize myriad psychological, spiritual, and political forces. Curator: Mmm, I get that. And she wasn't just flinging paint—the texture is so subtle, almost meditative, you can see how each brushstroke builds to the whole thing. It’s definitely one of those paintings you need to see in person to truly appreciate, feeling your way into its moods. Not every picture needs a dramatic story to pull us in, and honestly I can just exhale as I consider it. It almost gives me permission to breathe easier myself, maybe to forgive the horizon. Editor: And the title “Atlantique,” whether deliberately or not, draws this quietude into relation with histories of trans-Atlantic travel, diaspora, the slave trade… which, even if visually absent, linger like a haunting, complex presence beneath that tranquil blue surface. The history of an encounter shapes its reading and reception. I guess, while you're catching your breath, I'm wondering about what, or whom, this seeming quiet elides. Curator: A perfect perspective! Makes it even better. Editor: Thanks for sharing your own intuitive reflection; it really does shape how we look, together.