The Elements 1960

Curator: Let's discuss Jacques Herold's 1960 oil painting, "The Elements," currently residing at the Israel Museum. Its composition immediately strikes one as rather airy, almost ethereal, doesn't it? Editor: It does. I am struck by the way Herold visibly layered and manipulated the paint; you can practically feel the materiality of it, especially in those impasto highlights. One imagines the physical labor involved. Curator: Indeed, and look how those layers create distinct formal relationships, where shape echoes shape. See the echo between the swirl motif and what appears to be a schematic eye. The artist appears less interested in objective representation and more in the abstract principles defining pictorial structure. Editor: But what about the tools used to manipulate that oil? What were the means of production? And, I wonder what his studio was like – did his assistants also contribute? Understanding those hands that engaged with those materials would yield insights as significant as deciphering the iconography. Curator: While that might provide interesting context, my attention is drawn to the spatial dynamics within the canvas. Notice how the layering challenges our sense of depth and surface? The artist utilizes color to delineate distinct areas, disrupting any conventional reading of foreground and background. Editor: The colors also speak volumes, materially, as do their sources and production. Where were these pigments mined? How were they synthesized, and by whom? Such questions situate this piece within broader economic and historical systems that helped create and support this form. Curator: I concede such investigations have value. However, let's consider Herold's construction of meaning. The interrelation of lines and planes creates its own vocabulary, a syntax of abstract forms allowing the viewer a poetic, symbolic, and emotional experience outside of conventional representation. Editor: I appreciate this new insight. Perhaps by integrating our two perspectives we’ve created an even richer experience with “The Elements”. Curator: Quite. Examining the pictorial structure and considering production creates new depth for the audience's engagement.