Andante V c. 1915 - 1917

Editor: So, we're looking at Rudolf Bauer's "Andante V," an oil painting that he worked on sometime between 1915 and 1917. It’s intensely colourful, and feels like a cacophony of shapes wrestling for attention. What jumps out at you? Curator: You know, it’s funny, cacophony is one word for it, I find it surprisingly harmonious. Do you feel the tension between those swirling forms? I imagine them dancing on the edge of the canvas as if pushed and pulled by the currents. And the colours... they are jewel-like. But look closer, do you see hints of figuration struggling to emerge from abstraction? Perhaps, Bauer is offering us glimpses into his emotional landscape. Or, is it merely about the music playing inside his mind? Editor: I do see suggestions of figures now that you mention it, and the colours are starting to hum. Could it be a reaction to the turmoil of the time? Curator: It could be many things. In fact, what would it mean to remove the human entirely from our understanding of abstract painting? Bauer was deeply interested in music, right? What happens if we envision these forms to correspond to notes and scales and composition and key? How do you feel about that thought? Editor: I love the idea of visual music! It makes me think of synesthesia, and how some people experience colours when they hear sounds. Maybe Bauer was one of those people. Curator: Possibly, yes. Perhaps we're not looking at shapes but at a score, where emotions translate directly to hues, and composition equates to harmony. I can imagine the painting literally humming or ringing, cant you? The expressionist painters always strike me that way. Thank you so much for that interesting perspective on this, how it helped us hear these voicings from Rudolf Bauer in these last one hundred years. Editor: Well, thanks for helping me unlock this painting! I'll never look at abstract art the same way again.