Turkish form 1967

Editor: This is "Turkish Form" by Ben Nicholson. There is no date given for this work which is currently held at the Tate. I'm immediately drawn to the etching’s simplified forms, almost childlike in their rendering, yet there's a real sophistication in the composition. What do you make of this piece? Curator: It whispers of ancient relics, doesn’t it? Nicholson’s work often played with the tension between abstraction and representation. He creates a language all his own using only simple geometric forms. What do you think these forms evoke? To me, it is deeply evocative of the subconscious. Editor: I hadn’t thought of it that way. It seems almost primal, like the first mark-making. I am keen to explore it more. Curator: Precisely. Nicholson invites us to tap into our collective memory and find beauty in the simplest of shapes.