Canto XXXIII: [no title] 1983

Editor: This is Esq Tom Phillips' "Canto XXXIII", an undated print held at the Tate. The composition is striking, almost architectural. What catches your eye in terms of its formal qualities? Curator: The piece presents a fascinating interplay between text and structure. Note how the artist uses the grid-like background, an almost overwhelming field of indecipherable text, to create a sense of depth and confinement. Editor: It almost feels like looking through a screen. Curator: Precisely. And consider the line work: clean, precise, yet bordering on the austere. The schematic rendering of the books contrasts starkly with the chaotic density behind them, creating a visual tension. The artist seems to want us to consider the role of text and language in creating both order and disorder. What do you make of that, considered in terms of technique? Editor: The superimposition creates visual confusion, maybe reflecting the cantos are complex. Thank you, I’ve never looked at it that way. Curator: My pleasure. These observations always enrich my understanding too.