Two People c. 1935 - 1943

Editor: Here we have Noble Curry's "Two People," created sometime between 1935 and 1943, using mixed media including graphite. There's something quite haunting about the piece – the indistinct faces and shadowy tones create an unsettling mood. What formal elements strike you most? Curator: It is intriguing how Curry orchestrates the visual space. Note the ambiguous delineation of forms; the figures seem to emerge from the very ground they inhabit. Consider the interplay between positive and negative space: does the dark backdrop amplify the central figures, or do the figures conversely activate the surrounding darkness? Editor: I see what you mean. It's hard to tell where one begins and the other ends. It almost feels like they're being consumed by the shadows, or perhaps birthed from them. How do you read the composition's asymmetry? Curator: Precisely. Asymmetry is central to understanding this print. One must consider how the imbalances in tone, texture and line activate a dialogue within the work itself, destabilising visual equilibrium. How do you interpret Curry's deployment of tonal contrasts within the depicted human form? Editor: Well, the figures almost seem like ghosts due to the high contrast in dark and light – where their faces should be, it almost looks like something has been scratched away or covered up. Is there a kind of semiotic emptiness here, perhaps? Curator: An emptiness which highlights what IS present: the artist's gesture, the varying pressures applied to the plate. In the absence of facial detail, consider what we, as viewers, project onto these surfaces. Editor: I hadn’t considered the artist's hand so directly. Looking closely, I notice that some areas appear more labored than others, implying the artist's emotional investment shifted throughout the process. Thanks, this gives me a different perspective of Curry's process! Curator: Indeed. Through such scrutiny, the artwork reveals a fascinating interplay of control and accident, presence and absence. It encourages us to consider our own role in activating meaning.