Flake White (Lead White) 1924

Editor: This is Flake White (Lead White), a pigment manufactured by Wadsworth, Howland & Co. around 1924. It's fascinating how something so elemental could be considered art. What visual elements strike you most about this piece? Curator: The composition is meticulously arranged, directing the gaze through a study in whites. Note how the variations in texture—from the powdered pigment to the painted swatches—impart a tactile quality despite its two-dimensionality. Editor: The variations really do change the feel of the color! I hadn't considered that. Curator: Indeed. The interplay between the contained powder and the applied pigment offers a discourse on the very nature of art-making, and how materiality can act as signifier. Editor: That's a perspective I never would have considered. Thanks for sharing!