The Sun 1968

Curator: Henri Hayden's "The Sun," part of the Tate collection, employs bold blocks of color to depict a landscape under a dominating sun. Editor: I am immediately struck by the earthy palette, all ochre and burnt sienna, giving it a feeling of baked earth, or maybe a setting sun. Curator: Indeed. Hayden, a Polish-born artist working in France, navigated Cubism and abstraction, and this work reflects a leaning towards simplified forms. Consider the cultural context of post-war Europe and the yearning for stability and simplification. Editor: The sun itself, though a simple circle, feels like a universal symbol—the life-giver, the all-seeing eye. It is very similar to the solar disk representing Ra or Aten. Curator: The layering of colors and shapes reminds me of the socio-political stratifications of the time, especially concerning land ownership and power. Editor: Or perhaps, it's simply a celebration of the enduring power of nature as an elemental force. Either way, it resonates as something primal.