Graça Lobo, Laranja 1973

Curator: Oh, wow, this is certainly…bright. Editor: Indeed. Here we have Graça Lobo's "Laranja," created in 1973 using acrylic paint. It’s quite a striking example of the Pop Art movement here in Portugal. Curator: Pop art! I feel it—the vibrant orange, the almost graphic simplicity. It practically vibrates with a certain...youthful energy. It gives me the impression of like…retro cartoons, you know, something from the late 60's, early 70’s. Editor: Interesting, especially when you consider the title. "Laranja" means "Orange" in Portuguese, of course. One might ponder how the symbolic weight of the fruit informs this visual arrangement, in both conscious and unconscious ways. Note the geometrical abstractions here too. The use of simple shapes to construct larger images— a hallmark of Modernism too. Curator: An orange... sliced, perhaps, with a very sharp knife? Those angular shapes around the center feel quite pointed. And the color… such an unapologetic, saturated orange. Almost overwhelming, if you let it be. Is there tension? Maybe that reflects the political moment, what do you think? Editor: A potential tension, indeed! And to the color, you are right, of course! It does dominate one's senses…But maybe that’s the key—its challenge for viewers to see how familiar images are encoded with culturally understood assumptions and to decode its complex cultural references and personal statements on behalf of its creator. Curator: What a contrast. When I first glanced at "Laranja", my brain sort of skipped over the symbols, I must confess, settling just in the visual splash and thinking just of the sheer color and shape! But you’ve encouraged me to engage on multiple other levels… thank you! Editor: And, likewise, it is by considering the sensory effect of “a splash” of vivid color that unlocks further engagement, prompting deeper questions.