Untitled 1986

Curator: Today we’re looking at an “Untitled” mixed-media work by Michael Goldberg, created in 1986. It sits firmly within the Abstract Expressionist tradition. Editor: It hits you immediately, doesn’t it? The dynamism. Chaotic, almost violently applied layers create this restless energy that's immediately engaging, visually, conceptually. Curator: Absolutely. The painting draws heavily from the language of gestural abstraction. I’m especially struck by the symbolic use of color, notably how the dark forms appear to wrestle with the brighter shades. Does this tension trigger a certain feeling in you? Editor: Tension is a great way to describe it. The thick impasto evokes a raw physicality; the marks feel impulsive, almost like subconscious outpourings given free rein across the surface. The blue feels lighter, even serene against those heavy blacks and reds—a visual metaphor for struggle. Curator: And that's the heart of it. Goldberg often explored themes of conflict and resolution. Think about how he uses those sweeping gestures versus short, staccato strokes; it's like a visual record of emotional states. This work invites us to connect with collective experiences and trauma as something universally known. Editor: From a purely structural perspective, I'm drawn to how the artist plays with balance. The upper area feels light with those fluid brushstrokes, while the bottom feels grounded due to that darker, denser mass. The colors themselves push and pull. The way that each contrasting color fights with another, I'm reminded of a landscape about to overwhelm its foundations. Curator: What resonates with me is that despite all this apparent chaos, there’s still a deep order. Goldberg manages to retain compositional integrity— a fragile peace amidst the storm of emotions. There's an echo here, perhaps of humanity's resilient spirit in the face of hardship, which ties directly to post-war art themes, with the image almost reading as if its holding together fragments of a shattered world, desperately reaching out to the future. Editor: That’s it. We’ve just moved from the abstract, through to a visual story that keeps on unfolding. Curator: Exactly. Which makes the work a truly enduring testament to human strength.