Signes fauves 1961

Editor: So, here we have Isidore Isou’s "Signes fauves" from 1961. It's a mixed-media piece with vibrant blocks of abstract symbols. What strikes me is how each individual block feels like a fragment of a lost language. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Precisely! I see these signs as cultural echoes, remnants of systems of meaning eroded by time. Note the bold use of color and line; they create an urgency, as if these symbols are desperate to be understood. The grid structure provides a framework, but the individual components resist easy interpretation. Consider the historical context. In 1961, the world was saturated with new symbols – from corporate logos to political propaganda. Could Isou be commenting on the overwhelming nature of this visual landscape, reducing language to its most basic, primal forms? Editor: That's interesting. So, each symbol isn't necessarily meant to have a direct translation, but rather evokes a sense of primal communication? Curator: Yes, perhaps hinting at a collective unconscious where symbolic language transcends specific cultural boundaries. Do the colors evoke certain emotions in you? The bold red, the stark black, the energetic yellow... they are not accidental. Editor: I definitely get a sense of urgency and even a bit of chaos from the clashing colors and fragmented symbols. Like a visual representation of trying to decipher a forgotten code. Curator: Exactly! It’s a visual puzzle that encourages us to consider the mutability of meaning and the enduring power of symbolic representation, wouldn’t you say? What will future generations read in our contemporary symbols? Editor: That’s a powerful thought! I'll definitely be looking at symbols differently now. It’s like Isou is inviting us to be archaeologists of our own culture. Curator: Precisely. It is a journey to recover the lost language of our humanity.