Vertigo 1908

Curator: Looking at "Vertigo," a 1908 drawing by Léon Spilliaert, I'm immediately struck by its unsettling calm. What catches your eye? Editor: It's the dramatic contrast. The sharp, winding staircase against the hazy, indistinct background evokes a powerful feeling of unease and isolation. The figure is perched on the very edge as if contemplating a fall. Curator: That spiral form is compelling. In Spilliaert's time, structures like lighthouses or grand staircases symbolized modernity's aspirations, yet he renders this one as precarious. What kind of symbols would you attribute to that shape and its spatial role? Editor: Spirals often represent the cyclical nature of life, death, and rebirth, but here, it feels distorted, almost menacing. The figure clinging to its edge gives me a feeling of existential uncertainty. We know Spilliaert suffered from insomnia and anxiety so perhaps there's also an element of visual self-portraiture at play. Curator: You mention self-portraiture, but I see societal portraiture here, too. Remember, this was a time of vast societal shifts in Europe, and modern structures such as that staircase become stand-ins for progress, and Spilliaert uses monochrome inks to express social anxieties. He certainly gives space to it being read both ways. Editor: Absolutely, the limited color palette intensifies the emotional impact, almost forcing us to focus on the stark contrast of light and shadow. Also the ink and charcoal are masterfully used in rendering, almost as though each application reveals another emotional state of consciousness. This feels as modern as anything Picasso or Matisse was painting at the time, though much more emotionally subdued and self-interrogatory. Curator: Spilliaert never gained the wider recognition they did, even though "Vertigo" anticipates many of the anxieties they later put on canvas. Looking at it, I feel a profound sense of how sociopolitical concerns manifest as visual languages, making public statements, through deeply individual visions. Editor: I see how the stark symbolism evokes intense emotions—an intimate expression that continues to haunt me after walking away.