Jacob In The Wilderness 1986

Curator: "Jacob In The Wilderness," a striking piece by Ronnie Landfield painted in 1986. At first blush, what catches your eye? Editor: I'm struck by the way it seems to both float and ground itself simultaneously. It's dreamy, almost ethereal, but those strong vertical and horizontal lines give it structure. It feels a little bit like a sunset behind a grid. Curator: It is a beautiful contradiction! Landfield's work here exemplifies a certain tension that sits within the Colour Field movement. Those very deliberate stripes serve as anchors to that central atmospheric space crafted through the blending and pooling of the acrylic paint. There is order in the cosmos here, wouldn't you say? Editor: Order in the cosmos? That's a grand statement! I see what you mean. The bands of colour certainly frame and, in some ways, contain the more organic shapes in the middle. Like they're trying to categorize this… emotional release. Almost like geological strata, different layers of feeling and thought that have slowly merged together through experience and time. Curator: Landfield always emphasized his process was entirely intuitive, allowing the canvas to dictate the direction. In that sense, I'd posit that those bold lines aren't trying to "contain" but to provide a grounding or scaffolding to what you see in the centre. The ethereal centre almost represents the unknown. This painting uses the wilderness and is an investigation of internal exploration, almost? The title and artist certainly points in that direction. What do you feel about that title, actually? “Jacob In The Wilderness”? Editor: I'm intrigued by the narrative suggestion, yet I appreciate how Landfield doesn’t illustrate the story literally. Instead, we get this beautiful abstraction of isolation, revelation, and maybe even transformation, mirroring Jacob's own spiritual journey in the desert. It feels incredibly human and intimate despite its large scale. Curator: That’s right. Scale always plays a role! What are your closing thoughts about “Jacob In The Wilderness?" Editor: Ultimately, it is a piece that reminds me that even in moments of abstract expression and, to a further extent, existential uncertainty, there are structures, there is intent. Curator: Nicely said! For me, the piece is a tender reminder that within structure, be it societal, material, or formal like those we see within art itself, expression finds room to exist and morph, and perhaps teach us something new about ourselves and the world around us.