Autumn day 2016

Curator: Here we have Nemanja Vučković's 2016 painting, "Autumn Day," rendered in acrylic. Editor: It’s a whirlwind of color, isn’t it? Very energetic. I immediately get a sense of churning—the application is so active. Curator: Indeed. The visible marks of the artist's hand speak volumes. The layering of acrylic tells a story of process, of application, and maybe even scraping away at points. It’s interesting to consider the material reality of its making and how this fits within the context of abstract expressionism. Editor: Abstract Expressionism it certainly evokes, doesn't it? The raw energy almost pushes this piece to Fauvism in some respects, doesn't it? To my mind, beyond the pure energy and mark-making, I detect some deliberate symbolism within it. What does autumn, as a motif, evoke? Transformation, the melancholy of change. I wonder if those blues near the bottom represent a water source; some connection to deeper unconscious emotions that run beneath our everyday awareness. Curator: It raises fascinating points about the interplay between representation and pure abstraction. Is Vučković attempting to capture a specific landscape or emotion? To me, it highlights how abstract painting blurs the lines between high art and craft. One has to appreciate the very labor that is visible in the application and blending and clashing of the color choices, really, the materiality on display, front and center. Editor: The artist allows you to see their working; the gestures create pathways that the viewer’s eye can then actively follow. It offers a fascinating window into cultural ideas associated with color and landscape. Curator: This piece invites a reflection on not just the aesthetic object itself but the means by which it came into existence, drawing on references to materials and methods used to make art since paint became something purchasable at scale for more people than ever before. Editor: I agree. It's powerful how such abstracted forms can stir so much. We really are seeing beyond just process and material here, too; we see some level of our collective past encoded within it, still relevant today.