Green Flower of the Soul 

Curator: This piece is entitled "Green Flower of the Soul," a mixed-media painting by Janos Mattis-Teutsch. The artwork has an enigmatic quality. Editor: It certainly does! At first glance, it evokes a sense of hidden growth and almost constrained vibrancy with that intense background green and how those forms emerge. The bold, dark lines defining these organic geometric shapes are suggestive and symbolic, and that one distinct red form gives an emotional charge! Curator: Right, those powerful lines create visual tension, and despite the title, the non-objective nature of the composition pulls in different directions. Mattis-Teutsch's engagement with expressionism makes perfect sense, given the period. How do you see those colours operating symbolically, since you brought them up? Editor: Well, the dominance of green, traditionally tied to life and nature, is impossible to ignore. But the artist isn't letting it rest there; it's almost challenged by these almost jewel-like insets of red, orange, and that one assertive spot of blue. It hints at internal conflict or perhaps the blossoming of the human spirit as something full of vibrant complexity. Curator: It is very interesting to think of this piece as being born from within—considering Mattis-Teutsch was involved with Der Sturm in Berlin and later returned to Transylvania, we must remember that the Expressionist movement emerged during the prelude to the First World War, in the shadow of widespread socio-political shifts in thinking across Europe. I wonder if the sharp lines that hold these bursting forms represent, almost claustrophobically, the historical context surrounding its production? Editor: I can definitely feel that in the piece's weightiness—all this definitely allows for an expanded vision, when one realizes its genesis, or genesis potential. It definitely feels like its on the precipice of blossoming. I love what new connections are made when these sociohistorical pieces of our world emerge again. Curator: It highlights that these artworks never appear in isolation and exist as visual testaments and artifacts. I can now consider all new things after looking closer. Editor: Exactly, what felt initially contained has now flowered outward, becoming about more than just that single image. Thank you for taking me through this discussion today!