Red Heart 1980

Editor: This is Friedel Dzubas' "Red Heart" from 1980, crafted with acrylic. It's such an interesting piece, very evocative. The colors create this sense of stormy emotions but I'm also sensing some underlying passion. It’s abstract but deeply suggestive. What strikes you most when you look at this work? Curator: The dynamism, absolutely. Notice how Dzubas allows those acrylic paints to flow, bleed, and merge? There's this almost volcanic quality to it – the "heart" isn't a tidy Valentine; it's raw energy, both destructive and creative, erupting! Colour Field paintings often lack any central focus. What kind of symbolism would you associate with the colour Red, given that this artwork is from 1980, and its title? Editor: Well, red often represents passion, anger, even danger. Given the date, and the shadow above the "heart" I almost get a sense of…impending doom? Like a relationship, or a period of intensity, coming to an end? Curator: I love that! That potential darkness creeping into the fiery heart. Dzubas was exploring a range of expression beyond purely formal aesthetics. It feels intensely personal, like capturing the exact moment a feeling transforms from something joyful into something turbulent. As if colours were notes in music, like Miles Davis in visual form. You see how it pulls you into that raw emotional state. The grey clouds definitely add another dimension to the 'storm'. Editor: I didn’t consider that it was about such specific moments and raw emotions but it does change how I see the whole composition, more like a fleeting impression. Curator: Exactly! The way the art leaves its trace, both bold and fading. I am grateful that we stopped and observed, it feels as if a new meaning emerged for both of us.