Flight To Opar, paperback cover 1982

Curator: Here we have Ken Kelly’s 1982 oil painting, "Flight To Opar," originally a paperback cover. What strikes you first about it? Editor: The musculature. The light reflecting off oiled, hyper-defined muscles renders the male figure almost sculptural. It's very theatrical. Curator: Indeed. Kelly was clearly inspired by the pulp tradition, particularly Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan series. Opar, as a setting, figures prominently in those stories. The narratives often reinforced colonial fantasies about lost civilizations and power dynamics, reflected here in the subservient pose of the female figure. Editor: True, her vulnerability is accentuated by the towering male figure and her almost nude state. But what’s really masterful is how Kelly uses color. The ochre tones dominate, creating a very palpable sense of heat and exoticism, especially contrasted with the cool greys of the stone column and the looming doorway. Curator: Let’s consider the symbolic language here. The sword, obviously, represents power and agency, both embodied by the male figure. But who is being protected and what are they fleeing? The imagery can perpetuate problematic representations of gendered power dynamics inherent within adventure narratives. Editor: From a formal perspective, I’m captivated by the composition, the balance and imbalance between the rigid, imposing structure of the architecture and the organic, sensual forms of the figures. The textures too! Look at the almost tangible roughness of the door versus the smoothness of skin. It’s a potent contrast. Curator: Absolutely. We can also examine the colonial undertones and the representation of indigenous-inspired settings through an orientalist lens. There’s also that interesting pentagram and skull in the bottom left of the image; these elements seem to reinforce that sense of the fantastical while also signaling more occult or hidden systems of meaning. Editor: So, while seemingly straightforward, this painting reveals multiple levels of visual and cultural meaning. It certainly showcases how formal elements intersect to communicate those complex and often troubling narratives. Curator: I think that’s an important point, it challenges us to engage critically with art’s role in perpetuating or subverting cultural norms and historical power structures.