Parachrome 1964

Editor: Right now, we're looking at Ian Stephenson's "Parachrome" from the Tate. It's undated, but the impasto application of color gives the canvas an almost shimmering effect, like light refracting through a prism. What do you make of it? Curator: It feels like a memory of a garden, doesn’t it? Or perhaps a dreamscape. Stephenson's process, from what I understand, involved flicking paint, building up layers, almost like the slow accretion of time itself. What feelings arise when you experience this painting? Editor: I initially thought chaos, but now I see it as organized chaos. There's a subtle structure in how the colors interact. Curator: Exactly! Think about how pointillism captures light, but amplified, almost violent. Did Stephenson manage to capture that energy in paint, do you think? Editor: Absolutely, and it gives me a new appreciation for abstract art and its potential to evoke real emotion. Curator: Me too. I will never look at a garden the same way again.