Untitled 

Curator: Welcome! Here we have an untitled work by Julio Resende. It is evocative of the Abstract Expressionist style, using acrylic paint to create something that also hints at figuration and landscape elements. Editor: My first impression is, well, prehistoric! It feels like I'm looking at a hazy, unearthed excavation site. The textures look hastily layered, almost like quick sketches of unearthed fossil fragments. Curator: Yes, you're right! While the landscape element certainly lends itself to a sense of the geological and primordial, it is through its Abstract Expressionist qualities that the museum chooses to interpret this artwork, fitting it into a post-war dialogue of freedom and form. Editor: I'm drawn to the rapid application of the acrylics, and this speaks to the immediacy with which Resende seemed to have approached the canvas. I’m intrigued by how the quick strokes of paint could mimic a paleontologist’s careful brushwork, gradually unveiling the layers of history embedded in earth. Curator: Absolutely. This piece, to me, is evidence of the political agency that abstract art afforded in that period, as non-figurative works pushed the boundaries of academic art, offering a subtle critique on social conventions by favoring form over established societal representations. Editor: Interesting how these historical notions echo in the medium. Acrylic paint became much more widely available in the mid-20th century. Cheaper materials led to a democratization of art production. And it shows here, it feels like raw instinct expressed onto the canvas! Curator: Agreed, but what does its lack of a formal title say about Resende's intended social context? He opted for the authority to rest more with the viewers of his work. Editor: Yes, and each stroke feels purposeful and deeply physical. Resende allows us to almost reach back into time and touch that material surface he made so visible, so palpable. The medium IS the message here, perhaps as much as the artistic style. Curator: I think we can certainly agree on that! Looking at it, I get the sense that it still resonates and creates discourse today, not just as an object of aesthetic contemplation but as a social artifact that captures a period in our historical and artistic timelines. Editor: Precisely. The materiality embodies layers of time, of geologic time as well as our artistic evolution through this messy and deeply beautiful interaction with simple materials.