Blue Elegy 1987

Editor: This is Robert Motherwell’s "Blue Elegy," a watercolor on paper from 1987. I find the brushstrokes almost like musical notations, a soft, sad melody in blue. How do you interpret this work? Curator: The 'elegy' in the title gives us a starting point, doesn't it? The watery quality of watercolor itself has an association with emotions, fluidity, change. Think of blue's symbolic history. Is it sadness? Spirituality? What feeling does it evoke for you? Editor: Maybe both sadness and spirituality? There's a weight, but also something uplifting. Like a release. Curator: Consider also the Abstract Expressionist movement Motherwell belonged to. These artists sought to express universal human emotions and experiences through abstract forms. Could this "Blue Elegy" be about collective grief, something larger than individual sorrow? The shape isn't defined, so it expands meaning. Editor: That makes me think of how the same symbol can represent different things across cultures, and over time, its meaning shifts and deepens. Curator: Exactly! An image is not just what is represented, but all that it references. The power resides in that ability to hold layers of significance. What would this image have suggested if rendered in red? Editor: That changes it completely. Anger? Violence, maybe? It would lose the contemplative mood. It’s amazing how color and form are such potent symbols. Curator: Indeed. Looking closely at this work invites us to consider the enduring power of symbols in shaping how we perceive and process the world. Thank you for pointing out how the “Blue Elegy” conveys both sadness and spiritual feelings.