Untitled 1961

Curator: Here we have "Untitled," a mixed-media painting created in 1961 by Afro. Editor: My initial feeling is one of controlled chaos—dynamic yet somehow resolved. The tension between the bold blocks of colour and the delicate linework creates a palpable energy. Curator: Precisely. The composition reveals Afro’s engagement with Abstract Expressionism, particularly the gestural abstraction prominent during this period. Notice the layering—the juxtaposition of acrylic paint and seemingly random strokes that coalesce into a structured whole. Editor: The red, to me, symbolizes passion or perhaps even a rupture. The muted blues and tans appear to offer a sense of calm in the midst of it, maybe a nod towards the emotional balancing act we all perform daily. Red, often viewed as symbolic of aggression or life force, feels deliberately placed in conflict with the other cooler hues. Curator: Yes, there's an evident structural dialogue between the color fields and linear elements. Look at how the white serves as both a grounding element and an active participant, defining forms even as it dissolves them. It echoes the modernist ambition to flatten pictorial space, pushing the painting toward pure surface and materiality. Editor: Do you find, with the geometric elements set adrift within a sea of abstraction, any possible nods to something representational? Could this tension between pure abstraction and nascent forms suggest a cultural yearning to find new shapes amongst the ruins of older iconography? Curator: Perhaps. It’s hard to definitively ascribe symbolic weight, given Afro's commitment to abstraction. Still, we can entertain that reading, seeing it through a lens that combines personal expression and an engagement with historical visual vocabularies. Editor: Ultimately, its strength lies in that ambiguity. The symbolism resonates because it is felt more than it's understood—it speaks to our shared experiences on a subconscious level. Curator: I agree. Its power is embedded in its formal tensions—a dynamic interplay of colour, line, and form. Editor: Yes, an unresolved yet completely resolved paradox. Curator: A fitting encapsulation.