Positano, Italy 1964

Editor: Lozowick's "Positano, Italy" from 1964, is a print of this incredible, almost architectural cityscape. The stark geometric shapes give it a modern, almost futuristic feel despite the age. What strikes you most when you look at this piece? Curator: Well, immediately, I see a dance between order and chaos, wouldn’t you agree? It reminds me of staring at a Rubik's Cube someone started, then got distracted halfway through. There's a beautiful structure in the overall form – this stacked hill of buildings – but each individual element seems to have its own… eccentricity. Editor: Eccentricity? Can you elaborate? Curator: Absolutely. Look at the windows, the doorways, no two are precisely alike, and yet, they all conform to this pleasing geometric motif. It makes you wonder if Lozowick was making a commentary on community, maybe individuality within the group. Maybe I am reading too much into the piece? Editor: No, not at all! The balance between the overall geometric shape and the individuality of the units is interesting. The work captures this inherent paradox between our craving for community but need for freedom. How else would you say this image breaks free of the tradition landscape artform? Curator: What is intriguing here is what he chose to exclude. The simplification of the structures and their stark placement against the nothingness allows your mind to construct Positano the way it is uniquely viewed in your memory. Landscape often attempts realism to be truly great, here the image begs to be more abstract and in that abstraction reveals more about yourself and the space. I think that is brilliant. Editor: That's a wonderful point – thank you for this perspective! It is such an approachable piece from the perspective of memory, maybe that’s the mark of its lasting appeal. Curator: Exactly. That makes the piece both modernist and enduring. Glad to have talked to you about art today!