Proust: Remembrance of Things Past (At the Swanns) 1979

Curator: Looking at this work from 1979 by Maria Bozoky titled, "Proust: Remembrance of Things Past (At the Swanns)", one is immediately struck by how expressive Bozoky's watercolors are. What catches your eye initially? Editor: It’s a frenzy of line and color! The washes of pigment seem to bleed and pool, creating this lovely hazy atmosphere. I'm also drawn to the central female figure. Her plaid skirt and confident pose give her a strong presence, despite the work's somewhat dreamlike quality. Curator: Yes, I think Bozoky here plays with the societal expectations placed upon women during Proust's era while exploring her own vision as a contemporary artist. Consider, for example, the overt visual emphasis on costume and decorum. Editor: Right, but how does she build the work's dynamism, creating multiple spatial planes through layering, and offsetting these delicate washes with the almost aggressive scratching of lines? She almost sabotages any illusion of depth, doesn’t she? Curator: It’s a method of contrasting interior psychology with exterior performance. If we acknowledge Proust's influence, then we also can discuss his scrutiny of the salons. Bozoky seems to question those aristocratic settings in which identity was both rigidly defined and strategically performed. Editor: So, this agitated application hints at instability under the surface, what one might say is a crumbling façade? But look again at that use of line— frenetic, yes, but deliberate in creating spatial tensions, pushing and pulling our perception of depth! The semiotics of color also strike me: this azure skirt amidst sepia tones suggesting modernity breaking with tradition. Curator: I'd agree with you there, noting that her mark-making resists idealized notions. The colors and landscape allude to remembrance but resist traditional techniques. Editor: An exciting proposition, seeing tradition unsettled, all expressed through this gorgeous watercolor medium. Curator: Bozoky asks us to examine the power of history and performance in identity formation. Editor: I leave this viewing eager to observe where line and colour can next lead my eye!