three goblets 1967

Curator: Here we have Ben Nicholson's "three goblets," part of the Tate Collections. The dimensions of the image are approximately 200 by 152 mm. Editor: At first glance, it feels like a ghost of a still life. The stark, almost clinical lines give it a very detached feeling. Curator: Nicholson was deeply embedded in the British avant-garde, and his work reflects a broader interest in abstraction and the simplification of form. Editor: The goblets, though, are such classic symbols of celebration and communion. Stripped down like this, they almost feel like emptied vessels, hinting at absence or loss. Curator: It's fascinating how Nicholson uses the iconography of domestic objects to create something so detached from everyday life. The image almost presents a commentary on art's place within everyday settings. Editor: Indeed, the linear shapes, seemingly fragile and ephemeral, bring to mind the fleeting nature of memory and the passage of time. I feel I'm seeing a suggestion of what used to be, rather than what is. Curator: Well, I think that’s a perfect note to end on. It’s a really striking piece. Editor: Absolutely, thought-provoking even.