The Autumn of Central Paris 

Editor: This is R.B. Kitaj’s "The Autumn of Central Paris", a painting rendered in mixed media. It has such a vibrant, yet almost melancholic mood about it. What symbolic language do you see at play here? Curator: Well, the cafe scene is ripe with symbolism, particularly related to transition and intellectual life. The umbrella-like awning dominating the top, for example, it’s ochre, reminiscent of decaying leaves... Do you sense any specific cultural or literary figures evoked in this work? Editor: I do get a bit of a pensive mood... maybe literary figures are part of it? It has this feeling like a scene from a play or film still. The individuals seem captured in their private reveries and I suppose that might mean more when one is aware of all of these various literary traditions. What stands out most for you? Curator: The fragmentation does, really. Look at the disconnected planes of color, the almost collage-like approach to figuration... these elements create a sense of psychological unease and, dare I say, a tension representative of fractured identity in a modern cityscape. Do the chair legs going right through some bodies spark your interest? Editor: That's unsettling now that you point it out. It disrupts a comfortable perspective, doesn't it? Curator: Exactly! Kitaj frequently used personal iconography combined with references to historical events and literary figures, suggesting an encoding within the seemingly casual gathering. Editor: It makes me want to spend more time to unpack his image system! Curator: Indeed, peeling back the layers would reveal Kitaj’s visual encoding and the richness of intellectual history behind the canvas.