On me fait signe 1964

Editor: This is Natalia Dumitresco’s "On me fait signe" from 1964, created with mixed media, primarily acrylic on canvas. The fractured shapes and contrasting colors – blues, grays, yellows, and blacks – give it a chaotic yet compelling feel. What do you see in this piece? Curator: I see a powerful commentary on the fragmented nature of communication and identity, especially relevant in the post-war era. Dumitresco, as a woman artist working in a male-dominated Abstract Expressionist world, perhaps uses this visual language of abstraction to disrupt patriarchal narratives. The “sign” implied in the title, coupled with the fractured composition, suggests a message struggling to be heard, potentially silenced or misinterpreted by dominant societal forces. Editor: So, the abstraction itself becomes a statement about not being easily defined? Curator: Precisely. Think about the socio-political landscape of the 1960s. Civil rights movements, feminist uprisings, and anti-war protests were all challenging established norms. Do you see any resonance between the painting's chaotic structure and that period of societal upheaval? Editor: I do. The broken forms could represent the shattering of old systems and the struggle to piece together a new, more equitable world. Curator: Exactly! And the vibrant colours, almost fighting for space, mirror the diverse voices clamoring to be heard. Perhaps this painting isn't just "being signaled to," but also actively signaling to us, urging us to engage with these complex issues of identity and power. Editor: I never would have looked at it that way. I was stuck on the visual, and now I see it connects with everything happening at the time it was made. Curator: Art always speaks in relation to its context, and our understanding evolves as we gain more perspectives.