Maquette for "El Kophrah" c. 1965

Curator: This is Paul Feeley's "Maquette for 'El Kophrah'," a small study held at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It's so vibrant! The red, white, and blue palette is striking, and that biomorphic shape is held by what looks like a little white frame. Curator: Feeley's work often explored the dialogue between painting and sculpture, and this piece, though small, demonstrates that ambition. He was deeply influenced by the aesthetics of the mid-century, where you saw a lot of interest in organic forms, and these are meant to imply growth, and potential, within a rigid system. Editor: The application of the watercolor wash is interesting. You can really see the process. Is the watercolor on paper? It’s so clearly built by hand, showing all the signs of labor. Curator: Exactly! Feeley challenges what we considered "high art" by grounding it with those tactile features. Editor: Looking at its materials, thinking about its construction, I see a connection to post-war optimism, the belief in building something new. Curator: It’s exciting to see those connections surface! Editor: Absolutely, and I think Feeley really captured that feeling here.