Figure of fight 2006

Curator: Let’s turn our attention to Carmen Delaco’s “Figure of Fight” from 2006. It's an oil painting with striking expressionist and Fauvist elements. What strikes you about it? Editor: The rawness is immediate. It feels violently emotional – almost painful to look at. The figure seems trapped, caught in a moment of intense struggle. Curator: Delaco's work often investigates the body under duress, and in "Figure of Fight," that's certainly clear. What's interesting is how the loose brushstrokes and bold color choices contribute to that sense of unease. The redness in the flesh, the stark blues and blacks around it—there's no comfort here. Editor: Agreed. There’s a powerful relationship between the subject matter, the technique, and its visceral impact. The impasto is applied with real force. What about the social context; are we meant to see this in dialogue with certain social realities? Curator: I think so. In the context of contemporary art, Delaco's intense figuration challenges the increasingly detached and conceptual art of the time, reclaiming emotional intensity in painting. This could also represent our shared experiences with conflict. What does that labor tell us? Editor: Well, the painting seems like it would be quite gestural to create. I can imagine the artist themselves working in such an intense way and capturing it here as the primary focus. The painting and brushstrokes don’t try to hide, as if wanting us to be very aware of the creation of this art and its message. Curator: Indeed. By confronting themes of powerlessness and turmoil through such physicality of production, the work perhaps transcends just the representation of the fight itself, and more represents human struggles in general. It prompts questions about what kind of gallery it is exhibited in. And if that might have implications to its messaging. Editor: Definitely. It also prompts a larger reflection. The institutional validation of this style – once seen as rebellious – speaks to a fascinating shift in art-historical and societal perceptions of artistic expression. I find it cathartic and a reflection on how expressionist painters of the past find validation in today's neo-expressionists. Curator: For me, it’s the honesty in this lack of artifice that truly resonates. This piece embodies the grit and fervor needed to create within oppressive structures and social realities. Editor: And hopefully, reminds us of the necessity for continued artistic boldness in expressing our innermost turmoils.