Tiefer Mond 1957

Editor: This is Max Gubler’s "Tiefer Mond," painted in 1957 using oil. The arrangement of shapes and colours almost creates a dreamlike atmosphere, even though it’s an abstract landscape. What stands out to you in this work? Curator: What immediately seizes my attention is the deliberate orchestration of colour. Notice the interplay between cool blues and greys juxtaposed against the bursts of orange, purple and yellow. Consider how these clashes serve to destabilise any clear perspective. Do you find it resists any fixed interpretation? Editor: Definitely, the brushstrokes are quite gestural and don't seem to be defining clear objects. They’re kind of chaotic. So would you say that that’s central to understanding its… effect? Curator: Precisely. Focus not on what it represents but rather how it functions as a composition. The surface of the painting becomes a terrain of visual events. Can we reduce this pictorial logic to a mere mimetic description? Editor: Not really, it feels like Gubler prioritizes the texture of the paint and the relationships between the colors over realistic depictions. The way he applied the paint… it’s almost like the moon and land are battling for dominance on the canvas. Curator: An astute observation. Observe the thickness and application of impasto, creating raised textures that disrupt visual consumption. Does that add to a reading beyond the binary you suggest? Editor: Perhaps... because I was thinking of those dark shapes looming above and how those lend to an uncomfortable feeling. And even though I might initially find that off-putting, thinking of it as a battle, like you’re hinting, now makes it appealing. Curator: Exactly, so we see the importance of critically interpreting all elements of an artwork's formal devices. It creates a visual problem as an experience, even one of beauty. Editor: That really opens up how I'll see abstract paintings going forward. Focusing on the brushstrokes themselves, not just what they paint, reveals the feeling behind the work. Thank you!