UCMA - Uneasy Calm Modern Art

While overall serene and relaxed, these works maintain a foreboding atmosphere in one way or another. Starting off, Run-Down Subway Tunnel is largely dark, with a window in the top-left through which a train can be seen, its interior a solid gray and a light visible through the other window. The rest of the platform is not visible; rather, scratches and cracks are all over this image, and even the train seems to be scuffed, indicating that this is not a place in good repair. Next, Memory Club is a peculiar shade of orange that is maximally foreboding without encouraging action. The 'club' that the work's title refers to is clearly defined in black towards the top-left of the image, though what exactly is set to use the club, and on what, is left unclear. Serene and Stoic is exceedingly simple, with a fairly soft texture, little movement, and a restrained blue-green color palette. The background's gradient from a dark blue to a light cyan helps add to this impression. However, the central figure, the stoic tower looking towards one side and standing tall even amidst the otherwise-relaxing background, adds a little bit of tension. Grimpast Handprint is at once shallow and yet still deep, in a way. The handprint itself is in black at the bottom-right corner of the work, and behind it is an area of dark blue that contrasts somewhat with the cyan of the background. It is as if the hand is pushing outwards, encroaching on the smooth, laid-back background of the work. And finally of note, Needles Together has an intense, rough and pulse-wave-like background, cut through by stark and sharp areas of black in the foreground. Thin areas, all converging at a point just beyond the bottom-left corner of the work, and given direction by those areas of further black towards the top of the image. The work's intensity and sense of activity, especially given its subject matter, make it one of the most interesting works in this collection. Please enjoy!