Escada Mística 1972

Curator: Eduardo Nery’s “Escada Mística,” created in 1972 using acrylic paint, immediately strikes me with its sharp contrasts and geometric forms. Editor: The interplay between the gold leaf square and the descending red staircase evokes, for me, a sense of mystery—a modern take on an alchemical journey. The geometry reminds me of a coded diagram. Curator: I find that reading quite fascinating. If we analyze the structure formally, we see the composition depends heavily on the tension created by contrasting textures: the flat opacity of the background versus the textured, shimmering gold leaf square. Editor: Exactly! And Nery presents this spiritual symbol—the staircase—in a very material way. It is interrupted, almost broken, reminding me of how ancient symbols get reinterpreted through modern life, picking up new connotations. Curator: Consider also how Nery uses a stark, cool color palette for the geometric figures on the periphery, contrasting this with the warm tones of the red staircase. These choices seem intentionally designed to fragment our understanding of the pictorial space. Editor: But aren’t the fractured forms indicative of something deeper? The floating geometric forms, which seem incomplete, invoke a yearning for stability. Perhaps this refers to a kind of spiritual or philosophical grounding. Curator: It’s tempting to imbue these abstract forms with symbolic intent, but perhaps that assumes too much. The essence may lie solely in its formal properties, where line, color, and plane combine to challenge our spatial awareness. Editor: Still, a “mystical staircase” is heavy with symbolic baggage! Its recurring presence throughout countless cultures makes me think that the artist chose the subject specifically for the associative meaning. Ultimately, perhaps Nery masterfully employs visual cues to direct the viewer to the painting's more symbolic interpretations. Curator: It is this oscillation between formal investigation and the yearning for deeper significance that make this work so compelling to investigate. Editor: Absolutely; it challenges our expectations and assumptions regarding symbolic forms and encourages a more fluid viewing experience.