Cleavedsummerautumnalglance 1977

Editor: So, this is "Cleavedsummerautumnalglance" by Stanley Boxer, from the Tate Collections. I'm really drawn to the soft colors and how they almost seem to blend into each other. What do you make of it? Curator: The title already hints at a transition, doesn't it? Think about how Boxer, working during a time of significant social upheaval, might be using the seasons as a metaphor for the cycles of change and the cleaving of societal norms. Editor: I hadn't thought of it that way. So the "cleaved" part isn't just a visual split, but a social one too? Curator: Precisely. The ethereal figures could represent marginalized groups, their stories interwoven yet separated by the dominant narrative. How does that perspective shift your understanding of the colors and composition? Editor: It makes the separation seem less gentle, more like a forced division. Thanks, I'll never look at it the same way again.