Is It Still High Art? 1979

Joyce Kozloff made this patterned image titled 'Is It Still High Art?' and, well, it really gets you thinking about the status of decoration in art. The all-over composition is formed from many small floral or star-shaped motifs rendered in a limited palette of earthy and pastel hues. There’s a real tension here between the mechanical precision of a pattern and the hand-crafted feel of the thing. See how the edges of the motifs are not perfectly aligned? And how the subtle variations in color across the surface introduce a sense of movement. To me, these imperfections are not flaws but rather, they emphasize the presence of the artist and their process. I can't help but think of the work of Etel Adnan. Both artists share a similar interest in exploring abstraction, pattern, and color. But where Adnan evokes landscapes, Kozloff engages with the decorative traditions of non-Western cultures, and raises questions about value and cultural hierarchy. Ultimately, this piece invites us to reconsider what we consider art, and how we assign value to different forms of visual expression.