The Beach House 1986

Editor: Mary Heilmann's "The Beach House," painted in 1986 using acrylic, is deceptively simple. That brilliant blue square... or rather, *almost* a square... it feels like a doorway to somewhere, but somewhere very calming. What's your read on this work? Curator: Calm is a great starting point! I find that Heilmann does this wonderful thing – she invites you to contemplate the slightly off-kilter. This isn't perfect geometry; it's lived-in geometry, if you catch my drift. It’s as if the painting knows that real life – beach houses included – aren't flawless. Think about the 'Hard-edge painting' movement—but then *soften* it, humanize it. You following? Editor: Yeah, I see it. So it's referencing the Hard-edge style but kind of undercutting it at the same time. Almost poking fun? Curator: Precisely! It's like she's whispering, "Yes, I know the rules, but rules are boring.” That blue, that specific shade…does it evoke any memories for you? Any sensations? Editor: I guess it reminds me of swimming pools, that specific chlorine blue. It feels happy, definitely summery. Curator: Bingo! It is intensely personal and, at the same time, invites *our* own stories. And that imperfect form... to me, it reflects how memories themselves are rarely perfect, neat packages, you know? They bleed at the edges, a little like that lovely, brushy blue! Editor: So, the abstraction isn't about pure form; it's a way to evoke feeling and memory. It’s almost anti-minimalist. Curator: Yes! Anti-perfection, anyway. A very knowing, playful take on Modernism, wouldn’t you say? I think I’ll look at the beach differently from now on. Editor: Totally, it’s got so much more to it than just a blue square. It's a little bit punk rock, actually!