Weathering the Storm II 2017

Curator: Looking at this striking canvas, the sense of movement is overwhelming. Editor: It certainly is. The piece is called "Weathering the Storm II" by Rochelle Blumenfeld, created in 2017, using acrylics. Immediately, I feel this powerful struggle, an almost primal confrontation with natural forces. Curator: Yes, that drama stems, I think, from the very visible artistic labor. You can see the layering of the acrylic paint, the individual brushstrokes that build up this tempestuous scene. The way Blumenfeld uses the acrylic, almost washes in some areas, heavier impasto in others, suggests a very physical engagement with the medium itself, and with the forces of nature. It reminds me of the kinds of post-war artists pushing the boundaries of what the materiality of painting can express. Editor: Absolutely. The symbolism is layered too. Note the diagonal lines, reminiscent of rain or shafts of light – or both? They intersect in a chaotic but somehow ordered manner. It evokes for me the archetypal struggle of humanity against nature, but there's a definite visual tension suggesting resilience as well. Are we seeing an external storm or an internal one reflected on the canvas? Curator: An interesting question. I’m drawn to how Blumenfeld uses line – bold, confident strokes – that seems critical to the painting’s message. The repeated layering indicates labor and even perhaps hints at the working conditions and material constraints the artist herself may face. Abstraction also becomes its own kind of raw material. Editor: I see the raw emotion that emanates. Colors play their role. Dark blues and grays convey turbulence and the unknown, while those flashes of gold and orange – hope perhaps, or the energy of survival. This clash speaks to deep, universal emotions. We feel the precarity of human existence in the face of overwhelming forces. Curator: Precisely. I think that Blumenfeld asks us to confront not just the final image but the history of its making, its construction from simple acrylic on canvas. Editor: Ultimately, "Weathering the Storm II" leaves you pondering not just the visual representation, but its potential cultural interpretation across time and space. Curator: Indeed, it reminds us to appreciate both the tangible effort and the evocative language inherent to artistic creation.