Los elementos IV - Agua 1989

Curator: Let’s spend a moment contemplating "Los elementos IV - Agua," or "The Elements IV - Water," a mixed-media print by Albert Rafols-Casamada from 1989. It has such an evocative feel, doesn’t it? Editor: Absolutely. I immediately sense a calmness, a quiet melancholy even, despite the somewhat stark geometry of the composition. It is mostly blues with angular shapes imposed on the background. Does it convey “water” to me? Not literally. I would need to spend a minute and actively bring myself to think in the terms of the "Water" of the title to make a connection. Curator: I think you've touched on something key here. It isn’t a representational depiction of water in the conventional sense; rather, Rafols-Casamada invites us to consider water through its essence. The interplay of lines, seemingly random, creates a feeling of fluidity within constraint, perhaps mirroring water's dual nature as both a gentle current and a powerful force. Editor: Right, I see what you mean. Perhaps it’s exploring the more philosophical qualities attributed to water… Its association with cleansing, with emotional depth, maybe even its destructive capabilities when not respected or contained. Water has many different faces, it all comes down to what aspect of water we would like to emphasize at a certain moment. But, I believe this one has calmness above all else. I also find the use of graphic and printed elements fascinating; it almost suggests a blueprint. Curator: Interesting that you see that! I completely agree with the duality between intentional form and natural phenomena you're pointing out here! Rafols-Casamada often played with this idea. Form, to him, was not about rigid imitation but about distilling essence. He worked a lot with graphic prints too. The “lines” have more to them than initially meets the eye...they reveal something elemental and beautiful in ordinary ways we often ignore. Editor: And that makes the artwork itself reflective, as a result...it certainly succeeds on an interpretive, almost ethereal, level. Perhaps that’s why it feels so resonant even without literal depictions. We are so conditioned by advertising imagery of water...this presents a more "inner" approach...more mature, and philosophical. It lets us have time to just think rather than "being presented." Curator: Precisely! In that sense, “Agua” becomes more than a depiction of water; it becomes a conduit to explore the relationship between humans and the natural world, and how our understanding of ourselves impacts how we perceive and treat our world. Editor: Ultimately, this piece prompts questions about the function of the artistic intervention itself, and where representation starts and abstraction begins, as a language. Curator: Indeed. So what may seem like simple shapes on first view reveals complex and challenging meditations on art, the elements, and ourselves. Editor: Absolutely, it is not always about seeing—but mostly about what you start seeing!