Ocean View 1992

Curator: Gazing at Alex Katz's "Ocean View," I'm immediately struck by its flatness, the stark contrast between the crude green foreground and the bands of sand and sea. Editor: Yes, there's a definite tension there. The daisies, symbols of innocence and purity, are almost aggressively simple against that ominous, dark blue horizon. Curator: Precisely! It's the application of paint, too. Katz's bold, deliberate strokes articulate space and form, yet flatten the whole scene into a near abstraction. Editor: The daisies could also represent a collective memory of pleasant summers, almost a shield against the deep, unknowable ocean. Curator: Or, perhaps, the flowers' sheer number creates a visual rhythm, a counterpoint to the rigid horizontality of the ocean and shoreline. Editor: I still feel the painting conveys a sense of melancholic beauty. It’s a simple scene loaded with complex emotions that the flowers almost highlight. Curator: Indeed. Considering the composition and technique, one could argue the painting encapsulates the human desire to tame nature via the visual language. Editor: Ultimately, the stark simplicity and symbolic weight is a beautiful contradiction.