Circle E 1971

Curator: Here we have Gordon House's "Circle E," currently housed in the Tate. It's a striking geometric print. Editor: My first thought? It's so orderly. The colors are playful, though—a sort of sunset-meets-garden vibe. Curator: Precisely, the composition divides itself neatly. Above, we see a fiery orange circle nestled within a square, balanced by blue and green rectilinear forms below. Editor: Do you think the circle, like a sun, is supposed to be 'setting' on those neat, orderly blocks? Is it supposed to be an emotional contrast? Curator: Perhaps House is playing with the tension between natural form and rigid geometry. Consider the materiality, too—the texture of the paper, the crispness of the lines. Editor: I think he may have wanted to give us a sense of order. Even if that sense of order is challenged just a little bit, it gives us room to reflect, right? Curator: Absolutely. House invites us to contemplate that interplay. Editor: It's more emotionally complex than it initially lets on, then.