Curatorial notes
Corneliu Michailescu made this ink drawing, Composition, in 1960. Michailescu lived through a tumultuous period in Romanian history, experiencing both World Wars and the rise of Communist Romania. The drawing presents a scene of abstracted forms and figures, with a figure at the lower left that seems to be sleeping. The artist plays with the interplay between solid forms and negative space in the work, creating a sense of depth and ambiguity that reflects the mood in the Eastern Bloc at the time. The lines are bold and the composition is dynamic, hinting at the way that identities are made ambiguous in times of political turmoil. Michailescu's Composition invites us to consider the complex relationship between personal identity and political reality.
