Enigma i calma sobre el mar 1972

Curator: Let's turn our attention to "Enigma i calma sobre el mar," or "Enigma and Calm on the Sea," created in 1972 by Àngel Planells. What strikes you initially about this piece? Editor: There's an unnerving quietude. Despite the bizarre juxtapositions, or maybe because of them, a feeling of poised expectation permeates everything. The stillness feels charged. Curator: Exactly! Consider how Planells combines meticulous painting techniques with Surrealist imagery. His process involves a seamless merging of recognizable forms with dreamlike incongruities. It’s painting, undoubtedly, but also a stage set of the mind. Editor: The woman in the red dress, perched precariously – her very posture, almost a refusal to meet our gaze. What does she signify to you? This refusal is echoed by other headless figures in the scene; where they're replaced with either pottery or a rock formation! It's dream logic, clearly! Curator: Yes, it invites decoding. The woman's isolation reflects perhaps Planells' wider social context of isolation from mainstream Catalan art. The figures' partial visibility mirrors the restricted conditions for creativity during the period when Franco ruled in Spain. There were strict censorship practices. These figures exist only partially to exist without risk! Editor: Fascinating. It's intriguing how that chess piece just lurks behind the building facade! Chess, of course, a potent symbol for strategy and predetermined actions! Do you suppose Planells invites viewers to perceive figures caught in strategic games without full freedom? Curator: Indeed. And, by using meticulous realism, Planells elevates this dream logic with a palpable sense of reality and conviction. He transforms his concerns regarding freedom of thought and creativity into something visible for all. Editor: It's a visual poem—heavy with symbolism, provoking a sense of unease—as you rightly pointed out, linked directly to the making conditions within Spanish culture. I'll be pondering that image of a stage play for days! Curator: Likewise. Planells encourages to consider the interplay of materials, techniques, symbolism, and sociopolitical awareness in the painting tradition! A dense work.