Serpentine 1969

Editor: So, here we have Ronnie Landfield’s “Serpentine,” painted in 1969 using acrylics. The overall effect is quite… vibrant, wouldn’t you say? There’s a sense of energetic flow that I find appealing, and all those winding lines. What jumps out at you? Curator: Flow is the perfect word! It feels like observing a jazz solo, all improvisation and spirited energy. Landfield was clearly having a moment, letting the colours sing and dance together. The Fauvist boldness comes through with such confidence. Notice how the red undertones almost seem to breathe beneath the bright accents? Makes you wonder what he was listening to when creating it! What is your take on this controlled chaos, if you want to call it that way? Editor: I do! It feels both chaotic and deliberate. It's like a snapshot of pure feeling. It makes me wonder, do you think abstraction always requires a complete detachment from reality? Curator: That's the million-dollar question, isn’t it? While Landfield paints in abstraction, that doesn't mean reality is totally absent, does it? He takes visual and emotional impressions of the world and refines them into pure sensation. To me, this painting feels like distilled joy. Editor: I can see that, especially knowing it’s a product of the late 60s. A little rebellious, but ultimately optimistic. I’ll certainly view abstract art differently now! Curator: Exactly! Sometimes art is simply about feeling, and embracing where that feeling takes you. Thanks for opening your eyes - and ears - to the journey with me.