Explosion 1931

Curator: This small print, titled "Explosion", was created by John Banting. It’s held in the Tate Collections. The artist made it in 1931. Editor: It has a very raw feel. Seeing the linework, the blocky shapes—almost like a child's stamp—but with this sophisticated understanding of form and color. Curator: Banting was connected to the British Surrealist movement, and this piece captures that sense of fractured reality and the unconscious. Think about the political climate then; the rise of fascism, the looming war... Editor: The contrast is pretty stark too, the red and the yellow. I wonder about the specific cutting tools used. The lines have such precision. Was he using a traditional block printing technique, or something more experimental? Curator: Those intersecting lines could be interpreted as the breaking down of traditional societal structures. The geometric shapes, symbols of modernity, are collapsing. Editor: Well, it’s got me thinking about the means of production in relation to the social upheaval of the time, the labor involved in disseminating such potent imagery. Curator: Yes, and it’s also a reflection of a world on the brink of enormous change. Editor: It really does force you to consider the role that labor and artistry play in times of political turmoil.