Untitled 1999

Editor: So, this is Barry McGee's "Untitled" drawing from 1999. There's something melancholic, almost cartoonish, about this face stuck on this kind of drab, gray background. It reminds me of the urban experience. What’s your interpretation of this work? Curator: You know, that gray reminds me of fog, a real San Francisco kind of gray, like staring into a mood. And this isn’t just melancholy; it’s a real distilled sorrow, right? McGee often presents this idea of, say, societal woes or maybe his own… projected onto these characters, these almost graffiti-esque portraits. Editor: Graffiti-esque. Yes, definitely. What makes it so effective? Is it the contrast between the emotive figure and the rather… lifeless background? Curator: Bingo! He plops down this little emblem of feeling on, or against, indifference. Plus, look closely at those eyes and their slight misalignment—gives the piece an unexpected intimacy, doesn't it? Imperfect yet revealing, just like us, right? How about you? What really draws you in, specifically? Editor: Maybe it’s that the guy seems genuinely bummed out. There's a vulnerability there that’s compelling. Also, that the materials look used. It gives this feeling of an ephemeral statement about, as you say, life in a city. Curator: It becomes less about flawless beauty and more about the beauty found in decay, honesty. It’s an aesthetic of lived experience, or one reflecting our cultural one. And he makes you want to stop and acknowledge him. Makes you want to ask, "Hey, you okay?" Editor: Exactly! I see it now—thanks for making it clear how powerful such simple imagery can be. Curator: It's just raw emotion hitting the canvas and lingering with you. The painting of sadness; not all pictures are a ‘happy-ever-after’. A lot more meaningful than it initially seems.