Stairway Landing 1969

Curator: "Stairway Landing," an oil painting realized in 1969 by Lowell Nesbitt. The palette feels very restricted, cool, almost monochromatic. What’s your first impression? Editor: Haunting. There’s a stillness here, almost oppressive, amplified by that very limited, grey-toned palette. An almost photographic stillness with a dream-like quality that makes one feel not entirely present. Curator: I agree about the photographic feel; Nesbitt began as a photojournalist, a background that seems to permeate his visual choices. The painting seems like a snapshot lifted out of a film set of the era—sort of a film noir aesthetic. I see elements of realism combined with a symbolic arrangement of form and space. There's a window with gauzy curtains, a neoclassical bust...what do these signify to you? Editor: The classical bust juxtaposed with the sterile environment lends it the symbolic aura of mourning or memory. Notice that it presides over the railing in the near corner. But what of it? Curator: I think Nesbitt captured a mood so indicative of its historical context. It could almost be lifted straight from a play by Ibsen. What was the public’s fascination with such imagery at this moment in time? Editor: You are quite right. Considering the social unrest during that period, there seems to be a retreat here—perhaps even an avoidance of political confrontation—a sense of melancholy seeps from the canvas, resonating with the social anxieties of the time. And as we can discern from its place in this landing between the staircase, what this scene invites is merely to pass through. Curator: So maybe what we interpret is not only the psychological imprint of his personal reality, but one which is very of its own era as well. Editor: That's well said. This image and discussion is a fascinating microcosm for seeing that broader history, wouldn't you say? Curator: Indeed! Let's move on to our next exhibit.