Canvas fragment c. 20th century

Editor: This is Barnett Newman's "Canvas fragment," date unknown, a small piece of raw canvas in the Harvard Art Museums. It's so…minimal, almost aggressively so. What do you see in this seemingly simple object? Curator: I see the very foundation of Newman's practice. The raw canvas, the exposed weave, the ragged edges. It forces us to consider the labor involved, the industrial processes that yield the materials artists then manipulate. Where did this canvas come from? Editor: So, it’s less about the final image and more about the journey of the material itself? Curator: Precisely! Newman challenges the preciousness of the art object by presenting its most basic component. It makes you think about the economic and social systems that support artistic production. Editor: I never considered it that way before. It’s interesting to think of the canvas itself as a commentary. Curator: It reframes our understanding of artistic value. We look at the means of production and challenge the division between art and craft. Editor: I’ll definitely be thinking about the 'making of' from now on. Curator: Indeed. It changes everything, doesn't it?