The Jazz Singers 1934

Curator: Let's delve into Archibald Motley's 1934 oil painting, "The Jazz Singers". What are your initial thoughts on encountering this piece? Editor: It feels vibrant yet restrained, doesn't it? The palette is somewhat muted, but the composition bursts with energy. You can almost hear the music. There's a real sense of physical exertion, especially given the way the singer’s features are exaggerated. Curator: Precisely! Motley's application of color and form invites us to consider how he conveys motion and sound through visual means. Note the sharp angles in the guitarist's pose, and the use of contrasting light and shadow to create a sense of depth. We also must think of this artist as the master colorist he truly was. Editor: Yes, and consider the materiality – the rough texture of the canvas itself seems to amplify the raw energy of the performance. The artist must've worked very deliberately with the impasto. The material choices communicate that very specific texture, as if the sound is tactile, raw and physical. Curator: Interesting observation. Could we consider that rough texture as an extension of the voices presented in the image? Moreover, by analyzing the formal structure, the positioning of the singers, we can delve into relationships with Renaissance art; and in a wider, historical and theoretical framework, to a lineage of thinking on musical performance across eras. Editor: The construction is all about capturing labor and process too; it almost puts labor at center stage, highlighting the effort that goes into making art, both in painting it and in performing jazz. We have to note the production here: the making, displaying, consumption and circulation of this piece within the arts economy. Curator: So the question emerges whether you could see beyond just form. Motley, using structure, symbolism, composition, created depth, literally pushing and pulling shapes, lights, color around to pull you inside his paintings. In all cases, Motley sought the most expressive vehicle that could contain a story. Editor: It is truly amazing how Motley managed to portray simultaneously intimacy and community, craft and design in that one painting. Curator: A complex synthesis. "The Jazz Singers," is as interesting formally as it is materially. Editor: Definitely a powerful visual and tactile experience. A remarkable intersection of energy and form.