The Chase 1983

Editor: Here we have Mary Frank's "The Chase" from 1983, crafted with acrylic on canvas. I am immediately struck by its dramatic use of color, a stark, almost theatrical contrast between the fiery horse and rider against the dark background. What do you see in this piece, beyond the immediately obvious? Curator: It feels elemental, doesn’t it? A primal scream rendered in paint. Mary Frank often explored themes of nature, mythology, and the human condition through fragmented forms. To me, this image isn’t just about a chase; it's about the eternal pursuit of something just beyond our grasp, or perhaps a desperate flight *from* something. What do you make of the fact that both rider and horse are nearly the same color? Almost a single entity? Editor: I guess I hadn't thought of them being *one*. Maybe that unity speaks to a deeper connection. Or perhaps it blurs the line between hunter and hunted? The "chase" implies pursuit, but what if it's not so clear who's chasing whom? Curator: Precisely! Frank leaves the narrative open, deliberately ambiguous. It's up to us to project our own anxieties, desires, and stories onto this frantic scene. There's an incredible vulnerability, a raw energy in her work, like watching a dream unfold in front of you. Notice how she’s only outlined the shapes but used the same colors for filling the shapes and background, is the pursuit worthwhile or not? Editor: It's definitely given me a lot to think about, a far cry from a simple equestrian scene. The intensity, the questions...it really lingers. Curator: Absolutely. And that, for me, is the hallmark of truly great art: its ability to spark not just contemplation, but a lasting emotional resonance, an echo of something felt, known, but never quite articulated.