The Petrified Dream 1973

Curator: Jacques Herold's 1973 painting, "The Petrified Dream," shimmers before us. Herold, known for his contributions to Surrealism and later Abstract Expressionism, uses acrylic to bring this fantasy to life. What strikes you about it? Editor: The texture first. It feels impossibly light, almost feathery, yet evokes this weightiness, this sense of… becoming stone as the title suggests. I imagine the terror of Daphne turning into a tree. Curator: Interesting! That connects well with Herold's interest in metamorphosis. He’s exploring transformation – not just in form but in emotional state. The red background creates an internal atmosphere, while the organic shapes, vaguely dragon-like, evoke myths and hidden psychological realms. It’s like a frozen narrative. Editor: Absolutely. Dragons represent primordial forces. It is about cultural memory and continuity and transformation! Consider the single orange eye amidst the "petrified" features…It stands out with an animal quality amid all this seemingly frozen arboreal growth. Is that intentional discordance unsettling for you, or exciting? Curator: A bit of both. The title juxtaposes something static with something ephemeral – petrified versus a dream – adding to the overall tension. I sense his exploration of the inner, more raw dimensions. How our psyches take on mythical dimensions when our fears emerge. Editor: Definitely. The eye, in that context, becomes a symbol of dormant emotion and power still smoldering. He isn't just showing this petrification—he hints that change could be coming; this power is simply lying in wait. Like volcanic activity. Curator: Precisely. The floating bubbles further abstract reality while offering something tangible like tears. Editor: Or, exhaled life force beginning to petrify. Like a visual spell! The entire piece feels both timeless and utterly specific to Herold's perspective, I think, that tension of being caught between eras makes his surrealist sensibility even more striking. Curator: "The Petrified Dream" provides us with rich terrain for visual contemplation and inner inquiry, demonstrating the timeless dance between imagination, emotion, and experience. Editor: Indeed! What a wonderful thing that these dreamscapes solidify on canvas; that we are all, here and now, party to such curious crystallizations.