Marine 1948

Curator: Looking at this small print, "Marine" by Minna Citron, held here at the Harvard Art Museums, the immediate impression is… murky. Editor: Yes, the tonality, a marriage of greens and blues, evokes a sense of submersion, doesn't it? The composition is dominated by these amorphous, almost primordial shapes. Curator: Perhaps they’re evocative of sea monsters or long-forgotten deities of the deep. The green could symbolize growth, rebirth, life teeming beneath the surface. Editor: Or, more plainly, an algae bloom. But observe the texture, the seemingly random distribution of raised dots—they interrupt any clear reading of form. Curator: Indeed, their purpose may not be representational at all, but rather to create a specific tactile experience, disrupting visual unity. Citron seems to be exploring the very essence of "marine" rather than depicting a scene. Editor: It pushes beyond mere representation, questioning our relationship with the ocean's depths. Curator: Precisely, it is both intriguing and somewhat unsettling. Editor: It's that tension that makes it so captivating.