Plate One, from Synapse Suite 1974

Curator: This is Plate One, from Synapse Suite, a print created by Martyl Langsdorf in 1974. It’s a striking piece, wouldn’t you agree? Editor: Absolutely. The first thing that jumps out is the stark contrast. The textured background, punctuated by those crisp, white shapes… then the strong, warm, central stripe. It feels like a channel of energy or a disrupted flow of information. Curator: Disrupted is a good word. Given the title “Synapse,” I see those background details as a dense network. Synapses, the spaces between neurons. That textured area could represent that, while those crisp white shapes appear almost like interruptions in the connections. Editor: Interesting. The way the vertical stripe cuts through the busy field certainly brings to mind division or connection. Do you think Langsdorf was making a comment on the fragmented nature of consciousness or perhaps the isolating effects of modern technology? Curator: The artist was married to a physicist working on the Manhattan Project; so she certainly had an understanding of science and technology's impact. Considering the Cold War context of 1974, those themes of fragmentation and disruption would resonate deeply. The synapse, normally a connector, becomes an emblem of division. Editor: It makes me consider the tradition of abstract expressionism, the politics inherent in art of the late twentieth century. In this regard, I think it works. Curator: Indeed, and it highlights how art can transform scientific concepts into potent visual metaphors, embedding complex social anxieties within abstract forms. Those interruptions, or whatever they are, gain significance. Editor: This linocut really offers such a compelling way to visualize those intricate mental processes, and also question the social ones, too.