Abstraction 1960

Editor: This woodcut, titled "Abstraction," was created by Alla Horska in 1960. The color palette, primarily blues, reds and black, give it an almost celestial feeling. I’m curious, with all these angular shapes and contrasting colors, what do you see in this piece? Curator: For me, it's like a collision of worlds, almost violently forced together. You see figuration struggling against abstraction; portraiture trying to emerge from this explosive modernism. The inky blacks feel like shadows or constraints, the reds like spurts of sudden expression against the dominating cool blues, reflecting the struggle to create under repression. Editor: Repression? You think it was a political statement? Curator: Maybe, maybe not. It exists within a Soviet Nonconformist art context, yet these artists pushed boundaries, didn’t they? What strikes me is its raw, unapologetic energy. Like the artist had something to say but could only hint at it. The geometric shapes remind me of ancient byzantine forms. Do you feel that pull towards figuration, even in its fragmented state? Editor: I do, now that you mention it. The profile almost seems like a memory fighting to be seen. That push and pull between clear representation and fractured form really brings a tense feeling. Curator: Precisely! Art doesn't always shout; sometimes it whispers, sometimes it bleeds in protest of itself. This one definitely bleeds, I think. I find the piece so brave and telling in how much is left unsaid, just there, right below the surface. Editor: It’s interesting how much more the piece conveys knowing the time it was made. Thank you, I definitely have a deeper appreciation of it now.