Approaching Storm 

Editor: This intriguing piece, titled "Approaching Storm," appears to be a charcoal drawing or print by Wuanita Smith. It's dominated by heavy shading and shows two figures looking upwards, seemingly at a menacing sky. What do you see in this work that goes beyond the immediately visible elements? Curator: Well, immediately the sky speaks volumes, doesn’t it? The impending storm as portrayed here—think about what storms have meant, across centuries. Upheaval, yes, certainly, a symbol of nature’s unpredictable power, but also, metaphorically, the storm as *spiritual* crisis, or perhaps even the premonition of political unrest. It almost evokes the sublime, doesn’t it? That sense of awe mixed with terror in the face of the immense. And notice the two figures... where are *they* placed, both literally in the foreground, but perhaps in a psychological or social context as well? Editor: I hadn't considered that it could be hinting at social issues through something as universal as the weather. They do seem like humble folk, given their bare feet and simple clothing. Do you think there is something about how they are holding onto one another? It looks like an embrace, but their pose also signals resignation, if that makes sense? Curator: It makes perfect sense. Closeness offers physical warmth, especially for individuals whose emotional reserves appear rather diminished to begin with. So what of the pair itself? Could the figures themselves, as part of a pair, invoke the memory, of Cain and Abel, or perhaps serve as a symbolic nod to ideas of the Fall of Man, exile from the Garden of Eden? Look, they huddle together, not exactly *sharing* their worry, each deeply lost in his individual response. How do *you* read that silence, between them, in the foreground, right before the storm? Editor: That gives me a lot to consider. I had only looked at this work at face value. It sounds as though an ordinary scene also echoes deeper worries about society's relationship to nature. Thanks so much! Curator: The pleasure's been all mine. Remembering what’s been forgotten – in a visual world. That’s a rewarding way to view art.