Untitled 

Editor: Here we have an untitled pencil drawing by Zdzislaw Beksinski. There's something undeniably unsettling about it. The faceless figure and harsh lines create this really stark, almost abrasive feeling. What do you make of it? Curator: Immediately, I’m drawn to the labor inherent in a piece like this. Pencil on paper, repeated strokes...It’s not just about the image, but the process itself, the repetitive mark-making, the almost obsessive dedication to craft. How does that painstaking method shape our reading of such unsettling imagery? What relationship does this level of careful construction have with its erotic suggestions? Editor: That’s interesting. I hadn’t thought about the act of creation being so deliberate when the overall tone feels so chaotic and disturbed. Do you think that contrast highlights a specific tension? Curator: Absolutely. Beksinski’s choices--the medium of pencil itself and the deliberate application of line-- are directly in opposition to the subject. How might this be commenting on artistic production in the late 20th century? Was he making a statement about industrial processes versus handmade art by using very traditional means to represent nightmarish, very modern images? Also, consider access. Pencil and paper are readily available, more affordable. Was this choice a matter of practicality, access or artistic statement? Editor: That completely shifts my perspective. Thinking about the material accessibility and labor brings so much more meaning to this piece. It's not just about a disturbing image, but maybe a comment on the means of making itself. Curator: Precisely. We are both makers and consumers of images. Considering materials helps unlock how art can be complicit with the society it critiques, or tries to reflect. Editor: I will certainly look closer at how an artist uses materials going forward. It has totally changed my perspective on approaching Beksinski’s works.