Forces at Play 1989

Editor: Denise Green's "Forces at Play," created in 1989 with acrylic paint, has such a striking contrast! The deep blues feel almost weighty, while that assertive yellow shape just pops right out. What do you make of the composition? Curator: It feels like looking into a portal, doesn't it? All those blues collapsing into a deeper space, grounded somehow by the geometry of the nested squares. And that vivid yellow fan, poised there, about to either launch out, or… maybe it's being sucked in. The forces she's playing with seem…well, contradictory. What if we turn it? Does the energy shift? Editor: Whoa, I didn’t even think of that. Upside down, it feels less stable, like the yellow shape is falling. It's incredible how a simple rotation changes the whole dynamic. Curator: Exactly! I see this as an exploration of thresholds – that boundary between the conscious and subconscious, order and chaos, the known and the unknown. Denise Green often explored liminal spaces in her work, so does that added biographical context shift how you feel? Editor: That makes so much sense. The "portal" feeling is even stronger now. Like a hidden world, vibrating just beneath the surface. But tell me, what’s with all the blue? Curator: Color, in Green's hands, wasn't just decoration, but emotion. The blue here could be melancholic, serene, but also vast and unknowable, like a deep ocean. That splash of yellow fights against it! A burst of optimism or rebellion, perhaps? Editor: It’s so cool how just looking at it differently opens up these new perspectives. Thanks! Curator: The pleasure is all mine, perhaps next time we can bring a compass!