Com dourados 

Editor: So, here we have Manabu Mabe's "Com dourados," which appears to be a mixed media work, mainly acrylic on canvas, belonging to the abstract expressionist style. There is something very chaotic in the center, but constrained by large flat planes of color, making it somehow harmonious. What stands out to you in terms of visual language? Curator: The painting’s strengths lie in the interplay between surface and depth, achieved through the juxtaposition of varied planes of color and frenetic lines. The background is sectioned into separate and distinct colors of orange and yellow, whereas the internal visual components seem to battle for supremacy with color sprayed on color and brush strokes going every which way. This deliberate tension constructs a dialogue that questions what the work is. How would you respond? Editor: I suppose I’m trying to work out how much of the composition is a chance arrangement. Curator: Chance certainly plays a part. The overall effect, however, reveals Mabe’s careful consideration of color theory and dynamic composition, characteristic of the modernists and abstract expressionists, resulting in more than merely a chance interaction of random elements. Have you noticed how the thick black line contours define these fields of internal energy? Editor: That’s right. It both contains and accentuates the forms inside. It gives it a graphic novel effect. I came into this conversation a bit confused about this piece, but it has now resolved into a far more unified statement. Curator: Indeed, the unified structure supports the dynamism of its constituents. A worthwhile observation.