Non-objective composition 

Curator: Aleksandra Ekster, a key figure in the Russian avant-garde, created this piece, "Non-objective composition." It is executed possibly with oil pastel on canvas, using varied marks. Editor: It’s definitely striking! I immediately notice the dynamic composition; those strong diagonals create a sense of movement and even a bit of instability. There's an emotional tension there that seems very contemporary. Curator: Absolutely. Notice how Ekster deploys the cool blues and blacks in opposition to the warm reds and yellows? These colliding color fields contribute to that same sensation. It reminds us of the Suprematist aesthetic: a move towards pure, geometric forms, meant to transcend the material world. The shapes become symbols in themselves. Editor: It is tempting to see an influence of that constructivist spirit of dismantling things, breaking them down to essential forms. And that black band right there in the middle seems like an effort at organizing that chaos or breaking that order! Is there information available as to whether this was primed, and how the surface prepared for this execution of shapes. Curator: Ekster sought a visual language of pure feeling, detaching art from representational demands. Those precise geometries allow a clear and immediate communication of the sensations. And that black is powerful—it absorbs light, anchoring the otherwise floating composition, or pulling it to the darkness that surrounds all shapes? Editor: Perhaps. But let’s consider the labor invested in achieving such an outcome, Ekster skillfully manipulated the pastels or paint, probably on a modest-sized canvas; but that choice alone can say a lot. Scale matters for art made in times of upheaval! And look at the thickness of that paint! Curator: This piece serves as a record of shifting consciousness, embracing the non-objective and promoting a more universally accessible symbolic language. Ekster was exploring the soul of the new modern age through those symbols. Editor: Still, I am compelled to reflect upon the hand, the person whose touch made this artwork come to be. Curator: A perfect reminder that we must always reflect on both form and the feeling that drove the form into creation! Editor: Precisely. To reflect on making and on maker.