Passage de l'Opéra 1971

Editor: Here we have Conroy Maddox's "Passage de l'Opéra," painted in 1971. It's an oil painting depicting a rather unsettling cityscape with odd figures. What do you see in this piece, especially considering the context of Surrealism? Curator: The "Passage de l'Opéra" throws into sharp relief Surrealism's interest in the uncanny. Maddox’s stage-like space populated by de-personalized figures – that statue-like character looms especially large – suggests a commentary on the alienation of modern urban life. How might this resonate with the social and political turbulence of the 1970s? Editor: The frozen feeling definitely hits on the theme of alienation! The 70s were politically charged. Was Surrealism engaging in that socio-political discourse directly or more indirectly through exploring the subconscious? Curator: Surrealism in the 1970s, while still invested in the subconscious, was acutely aware of its public role. The rise of mass media and its manipulation of imagery, for example, fed directly into Surrealist critiques. Maddox, in staging this scene, seems to be asking us to consider how societal structures – like the very "passages" he depicts – shape and perhaps confine individual experience. Consider how institutions of art and culture contributed to a certain idea of bourgeois order. Editor: So it’s not just a personal exploration of dreams, but almost a commentary on how society itself can feel dreamlike and irrational. Curator: Precisely. And how that irrationality becomes normalized, institutionalized even. It pushes us to question who controls the narrative and whose perspectives are marginalized. Editor: That really changes how I see the painting. I was initially just drawn to the strangeness, but now I'm thinking about the politics embedded in it. Curator: Exactly! And that’s the power of Maddox’s work—to unveil the unexpected, often unsettling social undercurrents beneath the surface of everyday reality. Editor: Thanks. This makes the piece a lot more powerful now!