[untitled] 1984

Editor: This is an untitled watercolor drawing by Sean Scully from 1984. The muted colours and geometric shapes create quite a solemn mood. I’m wondering, what strikes you most when you look at this piece? Curator: Oh, I see a melancholic cityscape shrouded in memory! Don’t you find the blocks and bands of colour almost hymn-like in their repetition? It reminds me of gazing out of a rain-streaked window on a train journey – the blurred edges, the softened hues… It’s abstraction, certainly, but an abstraction imbued with such personal feeling. Scully masterfully allows the watercolor to bleed, to mingle. Are the perimeters firmly distinct? I challenge you to tell me, what kind of mood this induces for you? Editor: That's an interesting observation, it feels very still, actually. There's a sense of order, but with a fragility from the watercolour bleeding and imperfect edges. How much of that stillness do you think comes from its geometric form? Curator: Everything and nothing. It is so geometric – that can lead the mind to classify, to analyse and thus calm, as one looks to identify its logic – it has such a deep-seated humanity, in these colours and the ways they play with light. Scully found liberation in constraints, layering emotion within these formal structures. Do you think that its quietness serves to highlight it among more chaotic and ‘exciting’ artworks? Editor: It does; I feel a much stronger connection with the artist in this painting. All the same I also get that with others so in that respect I will defer to you! That personal touch adds a whole other dimension, making me look at abstract art with a completely new perspective. Curator: Yes! It invites a slower, more contemplative experience, don’t you think? Allowing ourselves to feel, rather than just intellectually understanding, is a rare treat sometimes.