Bajo Sexto 1984

Curator: Dan Christensen's "Bajo Sexto" from 1984 is a vibrant example of his late-career engagement with line and color, executed in acrylic on canvas. Editor: My first impression is one of chaotic energy, like strings vibrating wildly on a musical instrument – perhaps hinting at the instrument alluded to in the title. Curator: Precisely. Notice how Christensen utilizes dynamic, gestural lines, primarily in bold strokes of blues and yellows, to create a sense of movement across the canvas. There's a deliberate tension between the sweeping lines and the shimmering, almost metallic, ground. Editor: I find myself considering the historical moment—the mid-1980s. This was a period rife with social and political unrest, grappling with questions of identity, particularly regarding race and cultural heritage. Could this raw energy you describe reflect that tension? The "Bajo Sexto," is, after all, a traditionally Mexican instrument. Is Christensen engaging in cultural dialogue, appropriation, or something in between? Curator: A compelling interpretation. While Christensen's oeuvre largely centers on formal concerns—the exploration of color fields, line, and texture—your contextual reading adds another layer. One might also argue that his adoption of such a traditionally "macho" style, at the very height of second wave feminism, could also be considered an appropriation. Editor: Perhaps the very ambiguity allows for these multiple readings, and maybe that is Christensen's success. I am now intrigued about what led him to select this evocative title. What connection, beyond a formal similarity between paint strokes and musical strings, might there be? Curator: The painting offers a window into how abstract form can trigger such complex and deeply rooted readings and cultural implications, regardless of artist's intention. Editor: I am definitely rethinking abstract expressionism as divorced from society.