Imitation I 1972

Editor: Sir Sidney Nolan's "Imitation I" really jumps out with its stark red and black. The figures are so raw and gestural. What echoes of art history do you see in this piece? Curator: The red screams martyrdom, doesn't it? Iconographically, it's a powerful color, deeply embedded in religious and emotional narratives. Notice how the figures aren't fully realized, they're almost ghosts. Editor: Yes, like shadows of something. So, is Nolan referencing a specific story or myth, or something more universal? Curator: Perhaps both. The imitation, the title suggests mimicry, performance, but of what? A primal scene? A cultural memory re-enacted, imperfectly, again and again? It could be Oedipus, or Adam and Eve. Nolan offers a stage for our own projections. Editor: That's a lot to think about. I hadn't considered the performative aspect of the title so directly. Thanks! Curator: My pleasure. It's a potent image, and that tension between presence and absence is what gives it such enduring force.