Untitled, Celestial Realm 1956

Editor: This is Lolo Soldevilla's "Untitled, Celestial Realm" from 1956, created using acrylic paint. It feels both playful and carefully planned, and has geometric orbs. What do you see in this piece? Curator: I see a powerful statement about visibility and representation during a tumultuous period. Soldevilla, as a woman artist in post-revolutionary Cuba, navigated a complex landscape. The geometric abstraction, seemingly detached, becomes a potent tool. Consider how the ‘celestial realm’ provides a space, perhaps a necessary one, for coded expression. The varying sizes and colors of the orbs - do they represent different voices, perhaps marginalized ones, within a rapidly changing society? Editor: So the abstraction isn't just about aesthetics; it's also a kind of coded language? Curator: Precisely. How might Soldevilla's identity as a woman, an artist, and a Cuban citizen have influenced her choice of abstraction as a means of communication? Consider, too, the rise of geometric abstraction globally – Mondrian, Malevich. Soldevilla’s unique inflection arises from her specific context, engaging with the international language while grounding it in a local struggle for self-expression. Editor: I hadn’t considered the global context alongside Soldevilla’s personal experiences. So, it’s not just pretty colors and shapes… Curator: Exactly! Think about the act of creating an alternative 'realm.' Could it be a way of resisting or critiquing the existing social order? The celestial could represent the intellectual space, the place for a burgeoning voice like hers, or others’… Editor: Looking at it now, I see so much more than just abstract shapes; there’s a narrative there waiting to be unpacked. Curator: Indeed. Art, at its best, prompts us to question, to dig deeper, and to connect seemingly disparate elements to forge a more nuanced understanding.