East Windy Night 1995

Editor: So, this is Richard Sloat’s "East Windy Night," a graphic print from 1995. It's immediately striking – that stark black and white, the crazy, almost swirly, movement… I find myself getting lost in all the lines. It feels very…noir, almost. What captures your attention in this piece? Curator: It grabs me right in the gut, like a strong gin. What do you think about those almost cartoonish, scratchy lines capturing this…well, quite beautiful cityscape, I would say. Like Van Gogh if he painted New York, right? It feels almost agitated. Sloat's really playing with our perspective here. He's got the architecture pretty spot on but then the sky seems to heave and writhe – a fantastic touch. Is it ominous, or whimsical? It could be either. I’m never quite sure. And isn’t that the beauty of it? What does it say to *you*? Editor: Ominous and whimsical, totally! It's like the city's a stage set for something… maybe a detective novel? Is that… intentional, do you think? Or am I projecting? Curator: Project away! But to answer your question: I wouldn't presume to know his *intentions,* darlings, artists are slippery fish. I always wonder: Did Sloat consciously want us to feel unsettled by this almost too perfect symmetry mashed up with this swirling vortex of a sky? Maybe! Or perhaps he felt the city *was* unsettling – a place of infinite possibility, but also underlying… tension? Either way, you definitely get a palpable *feeling* from the image, yes? And really that’s what matters, darling, isn't it? What matters is feeling it. Editor: Absolutely! It's less about what he *meant* and more about what it *makes* you feel. I see it now, this underlying energy. Thanks! Curator: And I thank you for putting my finger right on it!