The Quest 1938

Curator: Cecil Collins's "The Quest," currently held at the Tate, features figures in a boat traversing what looks like a dark, possibly turbulent sea. Editor: The immediate impression is one of starkness – the composition and muted colors evoke a sense of unease, reflecting turmoil or uncertainty. Curator: Considering Collins’s interest in philosophy and spirituality, this piece perhaps reflects humanity’s ongoing search for meaning within a landscape of the unknown. Look closely at the application of paint, the textured surface. How does it suggest the working process? Editor: It feels like a commentary on social and political alienation after the World Wars. The figures appear almost spectral, rowing against a threatening backdrop, which resonates with postwar anxieties about identity and purpose. Curator: The very act of layering and reworking the paint surface creates this sense of searching. It mirrors the figures' quest and also Collins's own process of making. Editor: I see the figures as archetypes—perhaps representing different facets of the human psyche, their journey symbolic of inner exploration during times of societal distress. Curator: Precisely. The materiality and the making are inseparable from the narrative; the texture becomes the terrain they navigate. Editor: Absolutely, it is a powerful reminder that art often serves as a critical lens through which we can examine the complexities of our shared human experience.