Sea Bird Saga I 1966

Curator: Wow, that just looks like pure energy bursting out, doesn’t it? Almost chaotic. Editor: It certainly possesses a raw, untamed quality. We’re looking at Wallace Bradstreet Putnam's "Sea Bird Saga I," a print from 1966. It seems he worked with graphite and possibly other drawing mediums here. Curator: Saga is the perfect word. It feels ancient, mythic, like a fragment of something far bigger than what we see. I feel that it’s sort of channeling a primordial scream or something of that nature, that just hits me on a visceral level. The seemingly random marks are actually very intentional as they spell out the title, although the text is completely obfuscated as such. Editor: Putnam worked a lot with archetypes and universal symbols in his practice. The seagull for example carries multiple layers. At the surface level, they signify freedom and journey. But, if we consider the period, seagulls were an everyday sighting, commonly seen consuming trash. Curator: Okay, so maybe that 'primordial scream' is more of a 'primordial squawk' of consumerism or industrialization gone awry? I'm getting less Odysseus and more post-apocalyptic vibes all of a sudden. Editor: The contrasting symbolism might be part of the appeal. Consider the lines, rough but carefully placed. They create this sense of constant motion, but also of fragility. A seagull against harsh elements for example. It’s not just a picture of a bird, it’s about the bird’s will to live and fight. The contrast against abstraction is really symbolic, creating harmony through opposites. Curator: You're making me rethink my initial 'chaotic energy' reading! Now, it’s hitting me as more vulnerable, maybe even a little melancholic. A delicate balance held together by a handful of charcoal strokes. Editor: Precisely. What seemed simple, almost like a doodle, becomes complex with a closer look. Curator: So, maybe it's a saga not just of freedom, but of endurance. Editor: Maybe the two cannot be so easily separated. Curator: Well, after all, every epic tale needs a bit of suffering to give it substance, right? Editor: Exactly. Even a seagull's.