Genesis 1:4 1961

Harold Emerson Keeler created this abstract print titled "Genesis 1:4," referencing the biblical verse about God dividing light from darkness. Keeler, working in the mid-20th century, navigated the complexities of postwar American identity. The print juxtaposes the ethereal with the grounded: A floating gold circle and a bold blue square hover above a chaotic mass of blue and black marks. This composition evokes the act of creation, of imposing order onto chaos, but also considers the way in which light reveals the underlying disarray. What is being built up and torn down here? Keeler seems to ask us to contemplate the tension between divine will and human agency. Does the act of creation inevitably involve destruction? This artwork may serve as a poignant commentary on the anxieties of the Atomic Age. It resonates with the eternal human struggle to find meaning amidst the chaos of existence.