Sarda Discovery 1958

Curator: We’re looking at Walter Feldman’s "Sarda Discovery," a mixed-media print created in 1958. Editor: It feels playful, yet restrained. The blocks of color – that dominant teal green and soft yellow – give it a grid-like structure, while the colored pencil markings add a sense of spontaneous energy. Curator: Feldman, a prominent figure in post-war American art, often engaged with themes of identity and place. Knowing he was deeply involved with the social movements of his time, how do you read that here, if at all? Editor: The geometric shapes lend a constructed feel – an attempt to organize the chaos, maybe. Yet those swirling pencil lines suggest the impossibility of perfect order, mirroring societal complexities. There’s a tension between structure and fluidity. Curator: Precisely. The title itself, "Sarda Discovery," hints at exploration and unveiling. In the late 1950s, amidst increasing social awareness, Feldman might be suggesting the discovery of new perspectives, or hidden realities, especially related to marginalized communities. Editor: From a purely formal perspective, I’m intrigued by how he uses mixed media to create layers of depth and texture. The juxtaposition of flat color fields with the delicate lines creates visual interest and guides the eye across the surface. There is also an interplay between opacity and transparency. Curator: It’s fascinating how those aesthetic choices resonate with the socio-political themes. That layering, those veils of color, they speak to the layered, often obscured nature of history and experience. Feldman's engagement with Abstract Expressionism here transcends the personal, it almost suggests he is asking us to dig deeper. Editor: So, ultimately, we are both discovering how Feldman’s composition allows for personal discoveries within his own social landscape? Curator: It seems the framework provides both structure and endless interpretation, leaving us pondering the meaning and process.