Mountain B 1979

Curator: Here we have Menashe Kadishman's "Mountain B," currently residing in the Tate Collections. The print work measures approximately 730 by 603 millimeters. Editor: My immediate impression is one of unexpected juxtaposition. The rugged, almost primordial mountainscape clashes with the smooth, geometric plane hovering above. Curator: Indeed. The tension between the naturalistic rendering of the mountain and the purely abstract, intensely red disc, establishes a visual dialogue about nature versus artifice. What do you make of that choice? Editor: Perhaps Kadishman is exploring humanity’s imposition on the natural world. The red disc, so obviously artificial, could represent intervention or even disruption. It certainly dominates the composition. Curator: The roughness of the mountain is key; it's achieved through textural layering, while the disc is a flat, assertive color field. The tension is palpable, a semiotic battlefield of form and meaning. Editor: It certainly makes you think about our relationship with the environment and how we frame our understanding of it. Curator: Absolutely. It has been a fascinating look at Kadishman's work.