History Painting 2 Cave. Yellow Earth 1995

Curator: Here we have Maria Lalic's "History Painting 2 Cave. Yellow Earth." It's a square canvas, 60 by 60 centimeters. Editor: It reminds me of raw umber pigment, like staring into a concentrated earthiness before it gets transformed. Curator: Lalic is known for subtle colour gradations and very tactile surfaces. There's a real tension here, don't you think, between the readymade canvas and the artist's deliberate hand? Editor: Absolutely. It’s as if she's trying to locate the very origins of painting, before even image-making itself. The "history" is not a narrative but a geological process. Curator: It's a political gesture, stripping painting back to its barest elements in a world oversaturated with imagery. Editor: I think it's more poetic, that deep ochre pulls you in... it's like a primordial memory. Curator: Perhaps both! Editor: Indeed. A minimalist masterpiece.