60’s Dish 1971

Curator: Barry Flanagan's print, "60's Dish," presents a stark interior scene. The date of its creation is currently unknown. Editor: Immediately, I'm struck by the raw, almost unsettling, emptiness of this space. The sketchy lines amplify this stark feeling. Curator: The dish is a sofa, of course, a kind of receptacle. The two objects resting on the sofa's back conjure images of domestic partnerships, perhaps even a pair of swans. Editor: The composition is unusual; the foreground is densely populated with splatters, pushing the sofa back, further into the negative space, creating a sense of unease. Curator: Right, and the splatters are evocative of decay, hinting at the transience of domestic comfort and the ever-present encroachment of entropy. Editor: I do wonder about the lack of tonal range. It almost renders the objects flat. Curator: Well, it invites us to consider the psychological weight of the space itself, doesn't it? That's what I take away from this compelling image. Editor: It is sparse, but it says so much.