Mechanics of Flying 

Editor: We're looking at Arshile Gorky's "Mechanics of Flying," an oil painting steeped in abstraction. It feels… almost like a blueprint, but one where the machine parts have come delightfully, almost comically, undone. What do you see when you look at this piece? Curator: Oh, "undone" is perfect! It reminds me of peering into my grandfather's workshop, a beautiful jumble of tools and half-finished contraptions. Gorky’s art often felt intensely personal, a dance between memory and invention. See how the geometric forms soften into biomorphic shapes? It's as if he's dismantling the rigid structures of the modern world and letting something more organic seep in. Does it evoke any particular sensation or feeling in you? Editor: It does, actually. I get a sense of… potential. Like these shapes could become anything. A machine, yes, but also something else entirely. The name “Mechanics of Flying” gives me the sense of reaching higher or further somehow. Curator: Exactly! And that reaching… it's not just about physical flight, is it? Think about Gorky's life. An Armenian immigrant who escaped genocide, rebuilt himself as an artist. "Flying" could be about transcending trauma, transforming experience into art. Look at that contrasting palette—the grounded browns and blues fighting against the upward-reaching reds and whites. It's a constant striving, isn't it? Editor: I hadn’t thought about it like that before. That context really shifts my understanding of it. What was initially a purely visual exercise for me, something cool to look at, becomes something much more human. Curator: And that, my friend, is the beauty of art. It’s not just what we see, but how it makes us *feel* seen, too. It's about recognising our own potential for flight, for transformation, within these very human “mechanics." Editor: That’s beautifully put. I’ll never look at abstract art the same way again. Thank you for sharing your perspectives!