Romeo and Juliet 1970

Editor: This is Arthur Boyd's "Romeo and Juliet." It's a monochromatic print, very textural, and it looks like it's made with charcoal or a similar material. How do the materials Boyd used influence your reading of this image? Curator: The deliberate choice of charcoal, a readily available and comparatively inexpensive medium, brings forth the themes of labor and accessibility. Boyd’s methods democratize the tragic narrative. Editor: Democratize? How so? Curator: Yes. The sketch-like quality and the lack of color remove some of the romanticism, emphasizing the rawness and almost brutal reality that underlies the story. Editor: I hadn’t considered the choice of materials as a commentary on the actual story itself. That’s insightful! Curator: Thinking about the materials reframes our understanding, doesn't it? It pushes us to consider who this story is for, and how its made accessible.