Untitled 1987

Curator: Welcome. Before us is an untitled work from 1987 by Manuel Felguérez, an example of abstract expressionism rendered in oil. What are your initial thoughts? Editor: It strikes me as earthy, both in color and texture. There's a definite weightiness to the pigment; you can almost feel the artist layering the paint. It feels incredibly process-driven. Curator: Indeed. Notice the careful composition: the balance of warm, terracotta tones against the cool, muted grays. Felguérez manipulates color to create depth and tension, guiding the eye through a carefully structured space. It's a masterful play of form and color. Editor: I'm also curious about the texture itself. Were tools employed to move the oil around, or was this done mostly with the hands? I find the application of paint more intriguing than any illusionistic effect of depth. What labor went into layering this pigment? Curator: A valid point. Yet, within that materiality, the geometric abstractions and fragmented figuration point toward an interest beyond pure process. The piece teeters on the edge of representation, almost forming recognizable shapes but ultimately resolving into pure form. Is this merely the residue from a previous object? Editor: Maybe, or is the layering and shaping a key part of a bigger industrial procedure? This feels so process-driven that it seems appropriate to imagine a craftsman doing the same thing every day; moving pigment is the ritual here. The question "what it is?" may not even be applicable, and if so, it would suggest this is merely leftover material from a workshop. Curator: Perhaps. It may challenge us to re-evaluate formalism versus a materialist reading. Ultimately, though, it showcases how the very nature of painting can express powerful, complex ideas using line, color, form and texture alone. Editor: I would rather focus on the social circumstances under which the work was created. It may not be as pretty, but I would feel better equipped to comment on Mexican industry than analyze aesthetic intention. Curator: An intriguing counterpoint. Food for thought.