[no title] 1995

Curator: This untitled work is by Georg Baselitz; we don’t have a date for it, but it’s held in the Tate collections. It's an etching. My first impression is unease. The figure, or figures, are rendered with such frantic, angular lines against that almost saccharine floral background. Editor: Right, it’s a striking juxtaposition. Baselitz often grapples with fractured identities, and this piece feels like a powerful commentary on the fragmented self in a world of superficial beauty, the floral patterns reading almost as a forced, constructed femininity. Considering his broader oeuvre, how do you see this aligning with the post-war German identity he often explored? Curator: Good point. I think that the rawness of the etched lines, that almost violent energy, can be read as a rebellion against prescribed societal roles. It really demands we question the narratives we're told about ourselves. Editor: It does. Makes you wonder what role art plays in deconstructing and challenging established power structures. Curator: Absolutely. It's a reminder to seek out art that makes us uncomfortable, that forces us to confront uncomfortable truths.