Adiós I c. 1937 - 1938

Curator: What strikes me first about this etching, titled "Adiós I," circa 1937-1938 by Selma Cohen Bluestein, is the overwhelming sense of sorrow. The figures, locked in embrace, are overshadowed by deep, almost claustrophobic darkness. Editor: It's powerfully poignant. That heavy use of chiaroscuro makes the print feel weighted with a profound sense of loss. The very close, intimate embrace, almost swallowed by shadows—it suggests a final farewell. Curator: The location too, set on a balcony overlooking what seems to be a war-torn landscape. Given the period, that's certainly my reading, and suggests displacement or a painful separation during a period of political turmoil and perhaps the trauma of impending conflict, a prevalent theme during this era. Editor: It’s almost like witnessing a cultural memory surfacing. You have a uniformed soldier saying goodbye. A heartbreaking image. Do you notice how the linear quality and scratchy lines amplify a sense of rawness and urgency? Almost as if this moment needed to be captured with a sketch that feels immediate but monumental. Curator: Precisely! The print’s material quality adds layers to its emotional content. Looking at the steel bars between us and them, the cross-hatching intensifies, as though illustrating emotional turmoil; a palpable visual representation of emotional bonds straining to break. It acts as a constant barrier in our viewing. The perspective further traps us within the confines of this shared grief, don't you agree? Editor: Absolutely, the barriers—literal and emotional—feel utterly binding. Thinking about audience engagement, the way Cohen Bluestein renders the human condition amidst historical tensions really opens a dialogue with how we navigate loss, still a timeless and painfully relatable topic. Curator: Exactly, its strength resides not just in chronicling social history, but in its potent visual symbols of enduring human experiences. It prompts us to examine the layers of separation: political, social, even psychological. Editor: "Adiós I," in its stark, intimate depiction, reminds us that behind the grand sweep of historical narrative lie these quiet, individual moments of aching farewells that resonate beyond their own era. A sobering, evocative artwork.