#70 1983

Editor: This is "#70," an acrylic on canvas painting created in 1983 by Elmer Bischoff. It strikes me as very energetic, with its clashing colours and layers of chaotic brushstrokes. What can you tell me about it? Curator: Note the all-over composition; the eye is given no single point of rest, a common feature in much Abstract Expressionist work. The canvas is charged by internal pressures, the pigment pulling the composition in multiple directions simultaneously. Do you see any internal organizational logic or structure at play? Editor: Well, I notice there are these bolder, flatter shapes that seem to almost 'float' above the more frenetic under layers. Is that deliberate, do you think? Curator: Precisely. The juxtaposition of planes and gestural markings generates visual tension. It seems to embody a struggle. Bischoff is wrestling with the possibilities of pictorial space, engaging in a dialogue between surface and depth, chaos and control. Editor: So it's not just a random application of paint. It is the structural dialogue between these flat and gestural layers which builds meaning? Curator: Exactly. We can deconstruct the relationships of colors. The primaries shout, while secondaries create a subtle balance, all anchored within a geometric scaffolding. Ask yourself what is Bischoff trying to tell us about space and perception in these works. Editor: I see it now! Thanks to your analysis I understand how each brushstroke builds a complex statement that would not exist on it's own. Curator: Indeed, we should all spend more time closely considering and analyzing brushstrokes and shapes, the building blocks of Abstract Expressionism and abstraction more generally.