Blood Moon 2018

Editor: This is "Blood Moon," an oil painting created in 2018 by Rose Freymuth-Frazier. The brushstrokes are thick and you can really see the texture of the paint, especially in the sky. It’s quite atmospheric, almost unsettling. What strikes you when you look at it? Curator: The evocative title and the landscape genre invite us to consider this piece within the context of environmental concerns. The "blood moon," often associated with eclipses, can symbolize disruption, change, and even crisis. What do you make of the artist's choice to paint a landscape using the impasto technique? Editor: I suppose the thick paint adds to the feeling of something being raw, and maybe a bit overwhelming. Curator: Exactly. And we could extend that idea. Consider how landscape painting has historically been intertwined with notions of land ownership, colonialism, and national identity. In the twenty-first century, how might our understanding of those themes be complicated by awareness of climate change, pollution, and the destruction of natural habitats? Does this piece suggest any sense of loss or anxiety to you? Editor: Now that you mention it, yes, there is a definite sense of unease, of something beautiful being threatened by darkness. The way the light struggles against the shadows... Curator: And that struggle could be interpreted through a social lens as well. Think about marginalized communities and their relationships with land and environmental justice. How might those issues be implicitly present, even in a seemingly straightforward landscape painting? Editor: I never would have thought of it that way! I usually just appreciate landscapes for their aesthetic value. Curator: That’s a fine starting point. But, as we delve deeper, art becomes a powerful platform to ignite awareness and propel necessary conversations around the urgent challenges our society confronts. Editor: It's amazing how much context can change the way you see a painting. I'll definitely look at landscapes differently from now on.