Blanc 

Editor: So here we have "Blanc" by Simon Hantai, done with mixed media on canvas. It’s giving me a fractured stained glass window kind of vibe, muted and slightly dreamy. What are your first impressions? Curator: "Fractured stained glass" is a perfect way to put it! I see something like an exploded mosaic, the tension of disparate parts striving for cohesion. I keep thinking about negative space – how the white *isn't* just absence, but a positive, active force shaping the jewel-toned fragments. Does it whisper anything to you about silence, absence? Editor: Definitely! I think the way the white peeks through makes the colors feel even more intense, even though they're quite soft. It almost feels like there's a story just beneath the surface. Curator: Exactly! Hantai, especially later in his career, played with this "sous rature"—meaning “under erasure.” He'd fold and crumple the canvas, paint, and then unfold it, revealing a kind of palimpsest of color and absence. Almost like secrets whispering through time, wouldn't you say? It's like poetry formed by chance and deliberate design meeting, interplaying on the canvas like the wind through leaves, forever moving yet fixed. Editor: That's beautiful! The "sous rature" technique gives it so much depth and complexity, a hidden layer beneath the surface. I really appreciate your insight on the interplay between chance and control; that adds another layer to it for me. Thanks! Curator: It's a dance between intention and letting go, wouldn't you agree? And who knows what secrets *you'll* find whispered on its surface. Remember, art's not just about looking, but feeling with our souls as well!