Song of Songs 2:12 1958

Curator: What a fascinating print. The piece we are looking at is a mixed-media print titled "Song of Songs 2:12" by Corita Kent, dating back to 1958. Editor: It feels like a garden after a heavy rain. Moody greens, organic shapes… there’s a whimsical feel to it, but with an underlying sense of depth and maybe even melancholy. Curator: Kent, known later for her vibrant pop art serigraphs, shows a real affinity for Abstract Expressionism here. This print was made during her early period while she was teaching art at Immaculate Heart College in Los Angeles. We can see those stylistic connections in the way the color is applied, but this has an intimate feeling I associate more with the art happening in the late 1950s. Editor: The central sun-like shape is particularly compelling; the color suggests something vital and illuminating. And below, is that a pair of doves? There seems to be this natural, earthly symbolism emerging amidst the abstracted forms, which echoes the verse from the Song of Songs it references. The verse speaks of the coming of spring and the voice of the turtle dove being heard. Curator: That biblical reference, that’s key. Kent was deeply religious. This piece sits at the intersection of faith, social justice and artmaking, values which underpinned so much of Kent’s work, but, even in these earlier more obviously devotional pieces. In her artistic practice, those threads of spirituality and advocacy are tightly intertwined. Editor: So, she’s almost visualizing the promise of renewal found within those verses, not literally depicting them, but capturing their emotional resonance, a visual poem of sorts. It uses this naive approach, reminiscent of folk art and children’s illustration. Even the palette evokes organic growth, which suggests life awakening after dormancy. Curator: I agree. And beyond the symbolism, the piece is remarkable for its layering. See how Kent uses overlapping planes and color to build a sense of visual complexity? These were revolutionary pieces, bridging religious iconography with mid-century American abstraction. Editor: It feels like more than just religious art, right? There's almost something primal there. Thank you. Now I see how to engage with those layers of meaning to go beyond pure symbolism. Curator: My pleasure, and it’s vital to recognize that while her religious convictions informed her artwork and teachings, she challenged and subverted some very conservative norms with those views, throughout her career.