VERTICAL APPROACH 2012

Editor: This is Rah Crawford's "Vertical Approach," painted in 2012 using oil paint. It presents this really interesting scene, seemingly romantic but also… distorted. The figure carrying the woman has this hole in his back, and her limbs almost look disjointed. What do you see in this piece? Curator: The distorted forms and unsettling composition draw my attention to the constructed nature of heroism and its potential cost. In many historical depictions, particularly within Romanticism, the male figure is valorized as the strong protector. But Crawford inverts that, literally creating a void within this figure through which a painful but striking element of the painting, that bright red emerges. What do you make of that red shape? Does it resonate with traditional symbols of bravery? Editor: It’s definitely eye-catching! Almost like blood or some kind of wound, but the stylized shape… is it maybe supposed to be like a medal or award, turned inside out? Curator: Precisely. By positioning it as an internal wound that explodes outward, Crawford is deconstructing that conventional romantic narrative. How does the portrayal of the woman figure complicate the notion of romantic rescue? Consider her passivity and the doll-like articulation of her limbs. Editor: It almost seems like she's a prize or object, rather than someone being saved. It's definitely making me question those traditional power dynamics that are often just accepted. I initially assumed this was a romantic scene, but now it feels like a critique of that entire idea. Curator: Exactly. Crawford makes us think about the problematic aspects embedded in traditional representations of gender and power, forcing a crucial dialogue. And ultimately a reflection on the male expectations within such romantic imagery. Editor: I hadn't considered the wider socio-political context initially, I'm glad that your insights are contextualized within those frameworks!