Head c. 1955

Editor: Alan Davie's "Head," a drawing, intrigues me. It feels primal, like a mask from an unknown ritual. What symbols do you see embedded in this image? Curator: Notice the swirling lines around the face, almost protective. They evoke a sense of energy, shielding something within. Consider the stark black and white contrast. What does that polarity represent to you? Editor: Perhaps a duality, good and evil, or conscious and unconscious? Curator: Exactly! Davie often explored Jungian concepts. The "head" as a vessel for the psyche. Does the aggressive mouth suggest a repressed emotion bursting forth, or a deity figure, a mouth of God? Editor: I hadn't thought about a deity figure. The image becomes even more complex. Curator: Visual symbols are often multivalent. It is for us to interpret!