Study for "The Radio Gull" c. 1960

Curator: Edward Steichen, renowned for his photography, also explored abstraction later in life. This is a coloured-pencil drawing from around 1960, a study for "The Radio Gull." Editor: Well, it certainly diverges sharply from his famous portraiture. At first glance, it reads as quite serene, almost like a technical diagram softened by the hazy, ethereal sky blue. Curator: Indeed. Note how the composition relies heavily on geometric forms, stark lines dissecting the pale azure background and larger off-white expanse. The overlapping triangles create a dynamic, almost aerodynamic sense of movement. It really plays with spatial relationships in a way not often seen at the time. Editor: And that very "technical diagram" impression strikes me further. I'm intrigued by its connection to "The Radio Gull," presumably an actual flying creature linked to the technological advance that was early radio. Perhaps the diagram shows a schematic, or at least tries to abstract something related to communications infrastructure in America during the Cold War period. Curator: The contrast between the rigidity of the lines and the softer texture of the coloured pencil application interests me most. The pencil lines do not achieve the straight lines so revered during early movements in conceptual art. You can almost feel his hand at work, applying pigment to achieve the colour gradation and even reveal that structural layout, quite distinct from hard-edge painting practices or silkscreen printing. Editor: And it speaks to a larger trend, doesn’t it? Abstract art moving out of studio-practice, no longer merely "art for art's sake", but referencing, engaging, and at times challenging socio-political norms, whether openly or subtly, in postwar culture. This piece appears quiet in comparison to many contemporary movements. Yet there is a hidden potency to this early conceptual statement by Steichen, particularly when looking back at it now. Curator: I concur, this small but bold example provides a refreshing glimpse of how seemingly straightforward art could explore intricate theoretical possibilities about modern society’s growth through technology. Editor: And the gull – nature’s messenger – now co-opted in this vision; it almost makes me reconsider Steichen entirely, his place amongst more than the pantheon of great portrait photographers.