Etiquette 1979

Editor: Here we have Antoni Tàpies’s mixed media piece, “Etiquette,” from 1979. There's an immediate sense of somber reflection invoked through the minimal color scheme and textured surface. What visual echoes do you observe? Curator: Immediately, I see a deliberate contrast. On one side, the implied shape, possibly a handle or ring, speaks to an invitation, an opening. On the other, the stark rectangular form overlaid with seemingly chaotic scrawls—it disrupts the tactile harmony. This juxtaposition forces a dialogue. How do we reconcile the open invitation with the obscured, almost censored message? What's the "etiquette" being questioned? Editor: That’s interesting! I hadn’t considered the idea of censorship. Do you see specific symbolic implications in the overlaid rectangle? Curator: Well, the rectangle, so cleanly defined against the aged backdrop, could represent a societal construct – a law, a rule, an imposed order. Tàpies was working under Franco’s regime for many years. The obscuring marks then become acts of rebellion, perhaps quiet dissent, questioning the very nature of imposed decorum and hidden cultural narratives. It reminds me a little of blurring out people's identities in images in countries with very specific or strict moral codes. What is hidden here in plain sight? Editor: I see what you mean. So, it's less about a literal etiquette, and more about… Curator: Perhaps an implied critique of a more profound, socially constructed "etiquette." Tapies may be making visible what a society chooses to conceal, almost a commentary of trauma or of repressed experience. The handle or loop on the left feels, in this light, almost a way *into* this darkness and an offer of freedom. It’s about unveiling the silent dialogue of symbols and their ability to carry encoded cultural memories. Editor: That's given me a totally new perspective on the piece. Thanks so much! Curator: Indeed. The power of visual language resides in its capacity to subtly express what words often cannot.