F1 1930

Curator: Pierre Daura’s “F1,” dating from 1930, is a fascinating example of his exploration of abstraction through tempera and mixed media. What strikes you initially? Editor: Wow, what a stern little geometrical world! It’s a mood, almost like a flag designed by a minimalist monk, with bold blocks doing all the talking. Is it cold in here or is that just the color palette? Curator: I find it revealing to consider Daura’s socio-political context. Remember, this was created during a period of considerable ideological and material upheaval. The geometric rigidity could be seen as a reaction to chaos, seeking order through form. Also, Daura utilized tempera, an egg-based paint, and other mixed media suggesting an engagement with more traditional craft techniques at a time when industrial materials were becoming increasingly prevalent in art. Editor: Eggs, huh? Somehow, knowing there’s egg in there makes it seem warmer, a bit less austere. The construction is amazing. You see how a hard-edged cube of cadmium red plays off against the quiet eggshell blue? And then, BAM, that knockout punch of absolute, unrelenting black. It's not just abstract shapes but somehow evokes… intention, even human form. Do you see how that large, dividing, near perfect central circle is only 'barely' balanced by smaller geometric masses in the four corners, implying tension, imbalance. Curator: Precisely! And think about the materiality. Daura’s application of the mixed media doesn't obscure its own making. The texture, brushstrokes—the evidence of labour are all present. That aligns him with a broader critique of industrial capitalism: highlighting human craft amidst mass production. Editor: Craft. It makes me wonder about Daura’s hands, doesn't it? Did he labor over each perfectly straight line, each carefully chosen color? What was the studio like where the 'sermon of shapes' took place? I get the need for order that you mention, almost an architectural diagram gone rogue. Curator: Ultimately, "F1" allows us to consider how modernist abstraction can simultaneously engage with formal concerns and larger socio-economic realities. Editor: So from "hard-edged flag by a minimalist monk" it might become an invitation to meditation… Interesting how materials and background add so much depth, literally and figuratively. Now it feels warmer!