Renvers 1980

Curator: Jo Baer's "Renvers," painted in 1980, employs watercolor and acrylic on canvas to present a series of enigmatic images. What are your first impressions? Editor: A dreamy, almost spectral quality dominates. The ethereal washes of color create a sense of movement and suspension, while the horses' fragmented forms feel…disquieting. Curator: Baer, known for her engagement with minimalism, transitioned to a more representational style in the late '70s. This piece reflects that shift, referencing classical equestrian themes. How might those prior associations resonate with this painting, however altered? Editor: Formally, I'm struck by the repetition of the horse motif—a fragmented equine presence is distributed across the canvas. Note how she returns to that horse head motif multiple times. And, yes, the classical forms suggest perhaps a critique or deconstruction of idealized representations. Curator: Indeed. Baer challenged conventional notions of representation. We have to consider also that, for centuries, equestrian portraits symbolized power and status. By dissolving the integrity of that traditional symbol she invites us to ask whether such grand narratives can persist intact after the socio-political upheavals of the 20th century. Editor: The washes and layering have this quality about them, this almost unconscious unfolding as she lays it all bare. The choice of watercolors contributes to the impression of fragility, an erosion of monumentality. How do you read those curious, stamen-like shapes aligned at the very top left and echoed by figures to the bottom? Curator: The botanic elements and attenuated figures serve to confound easy interpretation. Their starkly formal presence further pushes back against the notion of the triumphant or traditionally symbolic rendering of horses. There seems something elegiac being worked through here. Editor: I find that especially reflected in the tonal range, which hovers gently between illumination and fading shadows. It does evoke memory and distance. Curator: It's an insightful interpretation of a dream that probes history and experience and makes this artwork truly special, challenging our notions of beauty. Editor: Yes. Beyond just representational change, “Renvers” is actually compelling me to appreciate that there is beauty even in what is imperfectly portrayed.