Rouge et noir 

Editor: We're looking at "Rouge et noir," by Roger Bissière, it appears to be an oil painting. The abstract cityscape gives me a feeling of both warmth and constraint. What do you see in this piece, especially considering its reliance on geometric forms? Curator: Geometric forms act as cultural containers, you know. This "cityscape," as you call it, presents a stark contrast. The 'rouge' – red – a colour of passion, energy, even danger – fights against the 'noir' – black – a symbol of the unknown, of mourning. Notice how the rigid shapes of windows and walls seem to imprison that fiery energy. It makes me wonder what narratives, what collective anxieties, this tension represents. What stories simmer behind those darkened windows? Editor: So, the abstractness doesn't negate a narrative, but rather opens it up to broader interpretation? Curator: Precisely. It bypasses concrete storytelling in favour of tapping into shared cultural memories associated with colour and form. A window isn’t just a window; it’s an invitation, a barrier, a portal into the lives of others. Bissière uses these primal visual symbols to stir something deep within us. Does that resonate with you? Editor: It does. I hadn’t thought about how geometric shapes themselves can carry so much symbolic weight, almost like visual archetypes. I find myself wondering about other repeated motifs in art and what they unconsciously tell us about ourselves. Curator: Exactly! It's about unlocking the silent language of images and rediscovering shared cultural consciousness through the symbols we encounter in art. A good way to view historical and contemporary artwork.