Le complexe du sphinx 1967

Editor: Pierre Alechinsky's "Le complexe du sphinx," created in 1967, looks like it’s a mixed media work involving acrylic paint and prints. I’m immediately drawn to the contrast between the dark, brooding mass above and the comic strip-like images at the bottom. How do you interpret this work? Curator: The title itself provides a compelling point of entry: "The Sphinx Complex." Looking at the monstrous form, vaguely organic and menacing, we might consider how the sphinx acts as a guardian and a questioner. It’s not just a monster but a test, a representation of the unknown. Does the “complex” point to something Oedipal here? Editor: It's interesting that you see an Oedipal aspect. The creature is rendered so abstractly... It's really just an impression, a feeling of unease, but could it also relate to broader societal anxieties? Curator: Precisely! And those anxieties are rooted in cultural memory. The sphinx image is an ancient one. Consider the dreamlike, almost surreal quality of the lower register with its panel divisions – what stories are they alluding to? Are they individual dreams, mythic narratives? Does it provide any hints on the way that the question asked of Oedipus gets interpreted differently based on who is experiencing the encounter? Editor: So you're suggesting that these graphic images, by using seemingly benign and more approachable vignettes, intensify our emotional response to the monstrous form above? Like showing a human story in contrast to an incomprehensible being. Curator: Exactly. Alechinsky sets up a dynamic tension. This is a reflection of our human confrontation with immense forces of the unconscious, myth, history, or existential questions. It seems very telling that, even though it is “le sphinx,” a masculine noun, that Alechinsky is going to show a feminine visuality. The mystery persists. Editor: I hadn’t thought about it that way, considering the human element juxtaposed against the unknown and drawing attention to its gendered interpretations. I appreciate how understanding the sphinx's historical and cultural significance unlocks new levels of understanding in Alechinsky's art. Curator: Indeed. Visual symbols carry potent emotional, cultural, and psychological weight across time. We unravel a lot about the continuous role of the arts by trying to unravel them!