Bottom 1973 - 1975

Curator: Frances Richards' print, "Bottom", immediately evokes a sense of dreamlike vulnerability. The figures intertwine, almost melting into one another and the landscape. Editor: Richards, who lived from 1903 to 1985, positions this in a longer history of women artists engaging with surrealism, especially during and after the war, often grappling with themes of sexuality and identity in new ways. Curator: It's interesting you say that, because it doesn't strike me as deliberately shocking. It feels like a safe space, maybe even an allegory, the way the figures huddle together in the pale green light. Editor: Safe perhaps, but consider the original context, its appearance might challenge conventional artistic themes. The piece invites a dialogue on broader societal interpretations of the female body. Curator: I see it as more about inner worlds, that hushed space between waking and sleeping where the animal and human become one. Editor: Exactly! This speaks to how artworks can challenge and shift expectations regarding representation. Curator: Ultimately, it’s that ambiguity, that delicate balance, that holds me captive. Editor: And it's the art's complex and ongoing negotiation with its own history that fascinates me.