Untitled 1942

Curator: Here we have an untitled print by Barnett Freedman. It resides here at the Tate, and I find it so evocative. What are your first thoughts? Editor: Eerily beautiful. The high contrast makes it feel like a dream, or maybe a half-remembered film noir scene. Curator: Freedman was a master lithographer. Notice how he uses colour—or its absence—to create mood. The figure almost emerges from the darkness. Editor: That pink border seems like a trick, though. It flattens the picture plane, emphasizing the print’s materiality rather than any illusionistic depth. Curator: Maybe that tension between depth and surface is part of the point! It’s like he’s inviting us to consider the act of seeing, the artifice of representation itself. Editor: Well, it certainly forces you to look closely and appreciate the textures he’s conjured. A haunting piece, overall. Curator: Yes, definitely. I find that it continues to reveal itself the more I look.