Décor Plat 1915

Editor: This is Henry Lyman Saffen’s "Décor Plat" from 1915, crafted with oil paints. There’s such a bold, playful feel to it – a really vibrant and almost dreamlike landscape. What symbols or deeper meanings do you find woven into these bright colors and shapes? Curator: The intensity of colour immediately reminds me of the Fauvist movement; their daring use of colour aimed at releasing emotions. Note how the trees, for example, aren't just trees. The artist chooses instead to render these as patterns of emotion. How do you interpret the lines and shapes of the trees reaching towards the sky? Editor: That's fascinating! They almost feel like they’re yearning or stretching – is it possible the upward direction symbolizes hope, particularly given the date – 1915, in the middle of the First World War? Curator: Precisely! Art during wartime often adopts these veiled languages. Are those trees standing firm against unseen tempests or do they reflect individual struggles against societal structures? Each line, each color, and the space it inhabits contributes to that dialogue. Editor: I didn't consider the trees that way at first but now I see that. I'm also struck by the bold separation of colors, as if trying to capture distinct, yet intertwined, feelings about the landscape. It almost feels like I'm looking at a mosaic. Curator: Indeed, it seems Saffen seeks to capture not just visual reality but the internal landscape evoked by the external one. Perhaps by examining this artist's other works of this period might provide us more context to understand these abstracted cultural metaphors? Editor: Absolutely, I think understanding that interplay gives me a new appreciation for how personal experiences imprint themselves onto artwork, creating a unique visual vocabulary. Curator: Exactly! Hopefully, looking at all the symbols lets others realize how the most subtle artistic choice often hides powerful social and personal commentaries.