Untitled 1974

Editor: Here we have Jay DeFeo’s *Untitled*, created in 1974 using charcoal. The stark contrast and the almost volcanic shape make me think of some kind of raw, untamed energy. What do you make of it? Curator: Raw energy, exactly! DeFeo's work always feels deeply personal, like peering into her soul. The biomorphic shapes suggest a life form, almost embryonic, struggling to emerge from the charcoal. It’s interesting to me that you see a volcano... what do you feel evokes the natural cataclysm? Editor: Maybe the stark black and white and how the charcoal seems to be built up in layers. It’s kind of messy and explosive, but in a controlled way. Curator: Controlled chaos, a great way to put it! It's like she's wrestling with these powerful forces, trying to give them form, a bit like abstract expressionism, which she's associated with. It’s just charcoal, but it speaks of something so profound. Have you seen any of her other works? I feel it's all connected! Editor: I've seen "The Rose." The sheer scale of it is incredible compared to this drawing! Curator: The Rose! An entire universe in one artwork! It almost dwarfs her smaller, quicker sketches. So the energy we're talking about seems to explode over thirty years, taking over her studio! Does that change how you see this work? Editor: Definitely! It feels like this drawing might be a seed of that explosive vision, doesn’t it? It's exciting to consider the possibilities held within such a simple medium. Curator: Beautiful! What better use for an afternoon than the study of a work that reveals our human scale?