Dimensions: image: 314 x 235 mm
Copyright: © Stephen Gilbert | CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED, Photo: Tate
Editor: This striking work is an untitled piece by Stephen Gilbert. The strong colors really caught my eye. What do you see in this work? Curator: Notice how the abstract forms, especially the red shape, carry the weight of a primitive symbol, like something from an ancient cave painting. Does it stir in you a sense of familiarity, of a shared visual language? Editor: I can see that. It feels like it's tapping into something very old. Curator: It speaks to how our minds retain echoes of past cultures. Art allows a continuity of meaning, a cultural memory expressed through shapes and colors. This piece, though abstract, is deeply resonant. Editor: I never thought of abstract art having such a link to cultural memory before. Thanks!
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Gilbert made drawings like these as a way of coming up with ideas for his paintings. Organic shapes, heads and fantastic animals emerge in these images, tangled up with vigorous lines. The same triangular face can be found in both the monotype print and one of the ink drawings. This combination is characteristic of the work Gilbert made after settling in Paris in 1945. They move away from earlier, more explicit animal forms and show his development towards a fluid abstraction. This shift coincided with Gilbert’s involvement with CoBrA. Gallery label, July 2005
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