17.08.15 2015

Curator: Allow me to introduce "17.08.15" by Andrzej Nowacki, created in 2015. The piece is striking in its minimalist aesthetic, dominated by precise, vertical lines in alternating shades of gray and black. Editor: It reminds me of the soundtrack to a silent film – the visual equivalent of staccato notes. There’s something unsettling and precise about its starkness, almost like looking at prison bars...but stylish prison bars! Curator: A perceptive reading. The artist is deeply invested in the articulation of form and the interplay of line. Note the band of modified lines across the center, creating almost lozenge shapes. It's a play with pattern interruption and visual rhythm, adhering to hard-edge painting principles. Editor: So, not accidental at all! It does add an unexpected twist, that horizontal band. Gives the whole piece a kind of…pulse? It's static and yet, the change in shape almost seems to breathe. Is that intentional, do you think, or am I just projecting now? Curator: Intention is always a slippery slope. However, formalism allows we to examine what is present: the subtle shifts in value, the structured composition. We could easily discuss semiotics to decode this piece or explore how it is placed within the modernism artistic tradition. Editor: Fine, yes, signs and meanings, sure. But honestly, it still feels a bit cold to me. Very design-conscious. But isn't art meant to move us? This, I’d imagine, makes one think more than feel. Curator: Feeling, while valid, is a subjective response. But consider the precision, the intent behind the seemingly simple arrangement of line. Editor: Okay, okay. Point taken. Although if art isn’t felt, what is its worth? Anyway, I concede that there's something compelling in this "17.08.15", the contrast intrigues. The tension between strict repetition and variation offers more than a simple intellectual puzzle. Curator: Indeed. Perhaps that is where true feeling is revealed, through thoughtful reflection.