Royal Families (Curves, Points and Little Ones) 2013

Curator: Welcome. Here we have Jo Baer’s "Royal Families (Curves, Points and Little Ones)", an acrylic on canvas piece from 2013. Editor: Whoa. My initial feeling is a sense of playful mystification—like stumbling upon a forgotten ritual in a dream. It's quiet, but something significant is brewing under the surface, don't you think? Curator: Indeed. What is most compelling to me is Baer’s handling of form and space. Note the contrasting blocks of muted colors, the stark lines bisecting the composition, and the way these elements create an almost architectural framework, dictating how the eye navigates the image. Editor: It's definitely spatially complex, almost disorienting—as if landscapes and archaic sculptures have been flattened, collaged, and recontextualized. See how these little people down here bring to mind figures on some Minoan fresco, while that chunk of verdant scenery looks transplanted from an entirely different painterly world! Curator: The juxtaposition of these seemingly disparate visual lexicons points, perhaps, towards a postmodern sensibility: an intentional deconstruction of established artistic languages. The cool detachment of the painting's surface invites semiotic interrogation. It’s almost a visual game challenging us to unpack layers of representation and meaning. Editor: Games indeed! But that chilly mood is challenged by the subtle earthy tones. There’s something strangely intimate about these rough-hewn rock shapes – those curves, points, and 'little ones' might imply a certain vulnerability or protectiveness towards family ties. Or am I just projecting feelings of tenderness? Curator: Projection, interpretation, engagement – these are all inherent facets of the aesthetic experience, certainly. Though, if we read it against other pieces in her body of work, the emphasis is more structural rather than subjective. Editor: Possibly, though art lives in viewers’ perception – and "Royal Families," however deliberate and thought-out, stirs feelings rather than concepts. Doesn't every painting eventually write its own story on receptive hearts? Curator: A poetic summation. Even if we start with formal investigations, art is ultimately successful insofar as it fosters dialogue: both with oneself and with the broader socio-cultural landscape. Editor: That is where the wild, free life begins. Art isn't supposed to be just analyzed; it's supposed to bloom. Thank you for your vision.