Sem título 1987

Editor: This painting is called "Sem título," or "Untitled," by Menez, created in 1987, and it seems to be done in oil. It has a strangely melancholic feel, with that lone figure in the distance, the seated woman seemingly lost in thought. How do you interpret this work? Curator: Immediately, I’m drawn to the symbolism inherent in the multiple layers and viewpoints presented. Notice how the doorways act as frames, almost like portals to different states of mind. What cultural memory does that retreating figure trigger for you? Perhaps childhood memories or maybe just memories of times alone? Editor: I suppose the figure does suggest loneliness. I hadn’t considered childhood specifically, but the repetition does remind me of looking down hallways in old houses. Curator: Exactly. Consider the book-like forms in the foreground as well, which have been cropped and painted as though empty. Their lack of definition asks us to examine how personal histories, the unwritten or unremembered parts of them, define us even in their emptiness. What feelings arise when you contemplate what isn't present? Editor: I find the unwritten pages unsettling, like potential left unfulfilled. So you’re seeing this piece as a commentary on memory, cultural or personal, through these carefully constructed symbols? Curator: Precisely. The artist uses these visual cues—doorways, retreating figures, and empty pages—to tap into a deeper sense of self. Menez may be inviting us to confront and reconcile those fragmented aspects within our collective and individual psyche. Editor: That is really thought-provoking. I never would have thought of these ordinary motifs as symbols loaded with cultural and personal meaning. Curator: Indeed! By understanding this we learn that even the most unassuming objects in life may resonate and carry untold emotional weight, which shift and shimmer across eras.