Daytime c. 1960 - 1970

Curator: What do you make of this work, called Daytime? Esteban Vicente made it sometime between 1960 and 1970. It combines watercolor, mixed media and collage elements. Editor: Hmm...a sort of playful awkwardness. Those blocks of muted colors are so contained, but the ripped edges of that bright pink collage element gives it this delightful rawness, as if it just burst onto the scene. I'm quite drawn to it. Curator: Vicente was an important figure within the New York School, closely associated with Abstract Expressionism. He began working in collage later in his career, bringing a new sense of dimension to his abstract compositions. Editor: Dimension is right! It’s not just flat planes. Those torn edges add a physical depth, casting shadows and suggesting hidden layers underneath. It's like a window slightly ajar, teasing what might be. Does the work reference nature, in any way? It reminds me of the landscape, subconsciously maybe? Curator: It does evoke a landscape with its layered planes, but that might be a consequence of Abstract Expressionism and a turn away from social realism or literal representation that artists like Vicente wanted to escape. Collage allowed a more spontaneous and intuitive process to take form on paper or canvas. There is evidence that the work is influenced by his travels as he was in Haiti just prior to this work, during the mid-sixties. Editor: Perhaps there's an emotional geography too. Haiti’s colours must have been intensely different and this looks almost like his memory re-interpreted them with some delay and reassembled. Curator: That's a fascinating point. Memory certainly plays a key role. Vicente was interested in creating compositions that hinted at a deeper, more subjective experience. He embraced this ambiguity, I think, resisting any singular interpretation. His political engagement, particularly with the Spanish Civil war in his youth, and post-war reflections would likely find subtle expression in his choices of colour, line and medium. Editor: The longer I look, the more those colors seem to converse—the quiet, grounded brown, the pensive green and then...BAM!...that electric pink, all a little rough around the edges. It's not just an abstract painting or collage, it's a feeling, you know? And like daytime, everything comes alive a bit more when that color erupts onto the page. It has something in common with Calder and his mobiles. Curator: Yes, I agree that we're witnessing something come to life within carefully curated boundaries. It strikes me as interesting how Vicente’s "Daytime" uses color, texture, and the fragmented forms to offer an impression of fleeting time itself. Editor: Well put! Now, if you'll excuse me, I’m feeling quite inspired to go make a collage. Thank you for your perspective!