Woman with Leaping Cat 1945

Editor: This is Robert Colquhoun's *Woman with Leaping Cat*, currently housed at the Tate. I'm really struck by the raw texture of the paint and the almost unsettling atmosphere. What can you tell me about the materials and making of this piece? Curator: Colquhoun's work often reveals a focus on materiality. Consider the visible brushstrokes and the layering of paint. How do these choices, these means of production, contribute to the emotional impact of the piece? Editor: It feels very immediate, almost like a sketch, but also very deliberate. Does this immediacy speak to the social context in which Colquhoun was working? Curator: Precisely. Reflect on the post-war period. Scarcity, reconstruction...how might those socio-economic conditions have impacted his choice of materials and his expressive style? What did we learn about this piece today? Editor: I see how the roughness of the materials and technique reflect the era’s realities. Curator: Indeed. And how his labour is a reflection of these times.