Blotter (Buvard) 1964

Editor: So, this is "Blotter" by Pierre Alechinsky, from 1964. It's a mixed-media piece with collage and printmaking, using ink and textile. There's so much going on! It feels almost frantic, like a hidden narrative bursting to the surface. What do you see in this piece? Curator: The energy you feel is palpable. Alechinsky masterfully uses line, particularly within the tradition of abstract-expressionism, to unlock primal urges, cultural memories. Do you see how the figures seem to emerge from the ground itself, like remnants of a dream? Editor: Yes! The faces and figures seem distorted, but also kind of familiar, archetypal even. Is that intentional? Curator: I believe so. He pulls at threads within the collective unconscious, inviting the viewer to access shared histories through these somewhat grotesque yet vulnerable depictions. It’s almost a Rorschach test presented through a lens of cultural memory. The blotter is traditionally something that absorbs, and in that way, this is like a record of what remains on the surface of our civilization's subconsciousness. What do you make of the textile element in this context? Editor: That’s interesting. The use of textile... Perhaps it symbolizes layers of history, or the way memories are woven together. So it gives form and adds symbolic layers that create a sort of conversation. Curator: Precisely. It is the physical embodiment of layered experiences; in effect the artist is allowing the viewer to become archaeologists delving into collective stories. It creates a dialogue between form, material, and the symbols we’ve inherited. Editor: This has really changed how I see this piece. Thank you, the symbolic perspective really adds another level. Curator: My pleasure. Thinking of it in terms of symbols allows us to feel more personally invested in the stories this artwork tells.