September Song 1998

Editor: Here we have Gillian Ayres’ "September Song," an acrylic on canvas from 1998. The bright colors give it a joyful feel, but there's also a controlled, almost grid-like composition beneath the swirling shapes. How do you interpret this work? Curator: It’s interesting you pick up on the grid, because while Ayres is often associated with Abstract Expressionism and its emphasis on spontaneity, her work is always grounded in structure. I see “September Song” as participating in a broader postwar project: the reimagining of landscape painting. Editor: Reimagining landscape? It seems pretty abstract to me! Curator: True, but consider the title – "September Song" evokes a season, a mood tied to nature. Also look at the blocks of color – aren’t they reminiscent of fields, perhaps seen from above? In that context, consider how the looser brushstrokes and "floating" shapes might then reference the ephemerality of nature, something almost musical. Does seeing it this way change your initial interpretation? Editor: It does! I was so focused on the immediate joyfulness that I missed that quieter conversation with landscape traditions. Now the title feels much more relevant. Curator: Exactly. And thinking about art's social role at that time, we could also discuss how Ayres, as a woman, was contributing to, and even challenging, traditionally male-dominated genres like landscape and abstraction. It becomes much more layered then, doesn’t it? Editor: Absolutely. I now appreciate the nuances between her art and its relation with landscape. It really makes me think about how art reflects its time.