Vivace 1988

Curator: Here we have Sandra Blow's large square canvas, "Vivace." Editor: It's certainly striking! The dominant red strokes against the stark white feel… almost violent, but then those playful little shards of colour soften the blow, so to speak. Curator: Blow was very interested in material presence and raw energy. This was painted later in her career and reflects a focus on the gestural, the immediate. She's simplifying things, letting the pigment and the application speak volumes. Editor: It's hard not to read the energy of postwar reconstruction into this. The large scale makes it feel monumental, like a defiant act of rebuilding, even through destruction. Curator: I see what you mean. For me, it's more about the pure joy of colour, the dance between chaos and control. Editor: Maybe it's both. I find it intriguing how those colourful shards create such a contrast with the intensity of the red. Curator: Exactly! I think it is asking us to find our own balance.