January 1973 : 4 1973

Editor: Here we have Patrick Heron’s “January 1973 : 4,” a vibrant print featuring blocks of red, blue, and purple. It feels…almost unsettling in its boldness. What do you see in this piece? Curator: I see Heron engaging with the legacy of abstract expressionism, but pushing it further. Consider the socio-political climate of the '70s - anxieties around war, civil rights, and economic shifts. Does this abstraction offer a form of resistance, a space outside those structures? Editor: I never thought about it that way! It’s interesting to consider the absence of explicit representation as a form of commentary. Curator: Exactly! And how do the colors themselves function? Red, blue, and purple… are they harmonious, or clashing? Does that tension mirror the social tensions of the time? Editor: It really makes you think about abstraction's role, not as an escape, but as a reflection of its time. Thank you! Curator: Indeed. Art always speaks, even when it seems to be silent.