Christ in Limbo 1950

Editor: So, here we have Alfonso Ossorio’s "Christ in Limbo," a painting with no specific date that's at the Harvard Art Museums. The figure seems almost trapped within the vibrant yellow and black textures. What strikes you about Ossorio's approach here? Curator: The artist’s use of impasto creates a textured surface that’s rather visually arresting. Note how the white lines articulate form—the suggestion of a figure—but simultaneously flatten the pictorial space. It disrupts any conventional reading of depth, doesn't it? Editor: It does! The figure almost dissolves back into the background. I wonder if that's intentional? Curator: Precisely. Observe how the figure is built up of successive layers, obscuring and revealing its form. In so doing, the artist seems to be hinting at a deeper philosophical meaning. Editor: That's fascinating! Thanks for helping me see past just the surface. Curator: Indeed, thinking about the construction of the surface helps us decode its meaning.