Untitled 1977

Curator: Here, we're looking at an untitled work by Karel Appel, painted in 1977. Appel, as many know, was a co-founder of the CoBrA group. Editor: My first impression is turbulent, like a storm brewing just beneath a hazy sky. All blues and yellows... I can almost smell the rain! Curator: The canvas absolutely crackles with energy, doesn't it? Appel's impasto technique—the thick, textured application of acrylic paint—really makes you want to reach out and touch it. There's almost a sculptural quality. Editor: You're right; there is a tactility about it. Though abstract, I can't help but try to decipher recognizable forms. Are those figures emerging from the chaos, or just my mind playing tricks on me? Curator: Appel intentionally leaves things ambiguous. As a true expressionist, his priority wasn't representation but the raw expression of inner feelings. Remember, he once said he doesn't paint, he just hits the canvas. Editor: Ha! That rebellious energy is certainly palpable here! It also reminds me a little of Fauvism. That bold, unapologetic use of colour... it’s quite liberating to look at, actually. Do you see any specific themes recurring here, in the broader context of Appel's ouvre? Curator: Certainly. Appel often revisited themes of childhood, innocence, and primal emotions throughout his career, perhaps as a reaction against the rationalism he saw dominating postwar Europe. This "Untitled" from '77 echoes some of that simplicity, albeit through a distinctly abstract lens. Editor: It feels somehow complete in its incompleteness, an expression of the pure joy and frustration that goes hand-in-hand with creativity, doesn’t it? Curator: Precisely. Appel invites us not to understand, but to *feel.* What could be more modern than that?