Nostalgie 2009

Editor: This painting, "Nostalgie" by Carlos Sablón, created in 2009 with oil paint, presents a surreal, dreamlike scene. The scale is disorienting; giant mushrooms loom over a starry, dark background. What do you see in this piece? Curator: The painting is a fascinating study in contrasting forms and depths. Note the texture achieved with oil paint: see how it creates a visual dichotomy between the smoothness of the central mushroom and the rugged, impasto application suggestive of a primordial soup. This tension guides our eye upwards, does it not? Editor: It definitely does. And the dream bubble, the landscape in the top corner... It feels separate, a picture within a picture. Curator: Precisely. It operates as a semiotic marker, signifier for recollection. A landscape—note its detail, mimicking classic landscape paintings, but truncated. Placed against what seems like outer space. The juxtaposition forces us to analyze what *is* against *what could be.* Is it truly 'nostalgie' for what? Editor: It makes me think about fantasy versus reality. The almost-primitive execution against hyper-realistic technique creates meaning itself, the artist playing with the act of seeing. Curator: Precisely. That play of seeing – a game with codes. An attempt to convey that nostalgia – it’s perhaps not the place itself, but our filtered perception. Editor: This analysis changed how I perceive the artist’s intent. The execution, rather than detracting, seems like its main concept: how nostalgia clouds judgement. Curator: Indeed. Close reading illuminates the complexities behind even the simplest-seeming image.