Abstract Composition, Knossos 1956

Editor: This is Jean Arp's "Abstract Composition, Knossos," a linocut print from 1956. The interplay between the dark blue background and the stark white shapes is so striking. I am curious, how do you approach interpreting something so abstract? Curator: Formally, the work engages with the interplay of positive and negative space. Consider how Arp orchestrates a visual dance between these contrasting elements. The shapes, though seemingly random, adhere to a logic dictated by the artist’s intent to harmonize form and void. Note the texture achieved via the linocut. The hand-carved quality contributes to the composition. What principles might inform our understanding? Editor: I can see what you mean. The linocut does give the piece an intriguing surface quality, adding to the shapes that appear both solid and like openings at the same time. Are we looking for the 'correct' interpretation? Curator: We aren't necessarily looking for a correct reading, but rather exploring the internal coherence of the work. Note, for example, the use of geometric and biomorphic forms, what is the tension between these, and how does the composition give clues to these tensions? Also how does that circular shape at the work's center impact the overall composition? Editor: The circular shape is interesting as a focal point, contrasting the other straight edged components! Thank you, that was an insightful way to explore the forms in this piece, and it has also deepened my awareness of its formal properties. Curator: Indeed. The language of form becomes, in Arp's hands, a powerful means of conveying the essence of abstract expression.