Untitled (#1) 1946 - 1947

Curator: Ah, this Ronald Bladen drawing… It looks like he produced this piece between 1946 and 1947, using graphite and pencil. I always found it strangely captivating. Editor: Captivating is one word for it. My first impression is disorientation; this feels like something seen in a nightmare. Darkly unsettling. Curator: Precisely! There’s an unease here, a searching… Look at the upper figure. Its form is barely defined. And below, those concentric circles—almost like a whirlpool, a drain… a pull towards something unknown. Do you see that hint of figuration? Editor: Yes, though 'hint' is generous! I find its strength more in the composition than the subject. Notice the severe contrast created by the circular form’s radiating lines juxtaposed against the gestural shading, how the radiating darks are echoed across the whole image? That tension is really something. Curator: Bladen was exploring abstraction, yes, but always tethered to the human form, the figure as a starting point, something vaguely recognizable which morphs and melts. Maybe this is the real nightmare fuel, something real distorted into something else. Editor: Agreed. The lack of hard lines, the blending, invites the viewer to create form—or dread. What I love here is that we can sense the *attempt* at realism but ultimately, the artist opted for a more elemental depiction, more symbolic. Curator: This work has that restless energy. Bladen’s move towards larger-scale sculpture makes so much sense, you see the origin of those concerns with space, volume, and impact within this smaller, very intense frame. Editor: True. It's amazing how a simple graphite and pencil drawing can feel so monumental, holding so much implied kinetic energy. I almost hear it. Curator: Yes, and that resonance stays with you. It's a dark siren song of a drawing. Editor: Definitely a potent piece, indeed a compelling prelude to Bladen’s future explorations in three dimensions, offering a shadowy glimpse into his artistic genesis.