Desire 1985

Curator: Sean Scully's "Desire" from the Tate Collection presents a compelling study in abstraction. Editor: It feels incredibly grounded, almost like a weathered wall with its muted browns and grays. I see stripes, but they lack any sort of precision. Curator: Scully's work often engages with the tradition of minimalist painting, pushing against its perceived rigidity through texture and color variation. Think of the socio-political context against rigid formalistic concerns. Editor: The title feels disconnected from the visual experience. Desire should invoke passion. But this is calm and subdued. Is that tension deliberate? Curator: Precisely. Scully's engagement with abstraction highlights the complexities of human emotion. The apparent simplicity belies deeper investigations into color theory, form, and perception. Editor: Maybe "desire" here is a longing for something simpler, a retreat into this grid-like order? What are your thoughts? Curator: Perhaps. As an artwork, it invites us to find what we seek, and, in the process, reveal something about ourselves.