Road in the Forest 1937

Curator: This is "Road in the Forest," an oil painting created in 1937 by Sasza Blonder. Editor: Oh, wow, it’s like peering through a kaleidoscope filled with leaves. It's more felt than seen, a memory of a forest. I get a sense of swirling color and texture. What was Blonder up to here? Curator: He seems to be investigating the boundaries between representation and abstraction. The materiality of the paint itself is foregrounded. Notice how the brushstrokes become almost more important than the scene they are depicting. It asks us to think about how landscapes are produced, viewed and consumed as images, commodities. Editor: Definitely! It feels less like a tranquil walk and more like a… sensory overload. Those thick impasto strokes almost vibrate. You can almost feel the humidity of the forest air pressing in, right? Was Blonder a big fan of Van Gogh or Soutine? There’s definitely an affinity. Curator: The influence is definitely there, however, there’s more at stake, this painting isn’t about celebrating the beauty of nature in a simplistic manner, but about using landscape painting conventions to point toward the materials and construction behind them. Consider the availability of paint in tubes at that time and what that meant to how artists like Blonder began using that new technology to investigate form and materiality! Editor: Fascinating! The earthy greens and browns combined with unexpected pops of violet and blues are unexpectedly moving! Like discovering hidden depths within a familiar path. The path leads the eye, but it doesn't provide clarity, just…more mystery. It makes me question what I think a "forest" or "road" even are. Curator: Blonder here highlights that what we think as natural is inevitably tied to the tools and industrial processes we have made natural in themselves. Editor: Well, now I'm seeing a factory floor under a guise of an idyllic escape! It gives you a lot to ponder about walking outdoors. It turns it into such a philosophical endeavor. Thank you for untangling this, in the best way! Curator: Of course. Thinking about art and the means and processes to its creation is what makes art relevant.