Enigma 1940

Curator: I'm immediately struck by the unnerving calm of it all. A peculiar stillness. Editor: Let's turn our attention to Paul Delvaux's "Enigma," crafted in 1940 using oil paints. What do you make of it formally? Curator: The rigid, almost mathematical composition, coupled with the soft modeling of the figures, is so strange. It's as if Delvaux is consciously manipulating perspective and light to create unease. Look at how the colonnade just stretches into the distance...it's chilling. Editor: Precisely. Delvaux had very particular labor conditions throughout Europe at that moment. It would be important to think of the economic conditions impacting Delvaux when observing how the women depicted have the air of Classical figures, rendered with an unsettling contemporary twist, maybe even considering their physical availability given economic constraints. What sort of narrative do you think Delvaux seeks to create and in doing so who would have the social capacity to appreciate such high production? Curator: I would add it seems difficult to construct one! Are they spectators, participants, or objects in a painting? The cool blues and greens contribute to the aloof feeling and create space, and perhaps the painting’s title, all point towards something that resists definite explanation. But the application of paint—the artist’s touch—seems so smooth, so deliberately denying texture. Is it trying to conceal itself? The smoothness may try to be a formal aspect but its political intentions become uncanny given it refuses the viewer any detail to analyze for deeper inspection of production in labor! Editor: The question of what constitutes a society with access and means is vital. The enigma really stems from the societal constraints of the day, not solely aesthetic. Delvaux is playing with power dynamics! Curator: And this exploration extends not just to the painting’s internal components, but perhaps also to its relation with potential onlookers who want a deeper inspection, wouldn't you say? I'm wondering who would actually access something like this during this time. Editor: Yes, indeed, it is precisely in these frictions that "Enigma" acquires an almost frightening allure; almost as frightening as it could be inaccessible given who could appreciate the art itself. Thanks for considering "Enigma" with me through this approach. Curator: It's certainly made me look at the piece in a whole new light too!