Mahogany 1980

Editor: Here we have Vudon Baklytsky's "Mahogany," created in 1980 using mixed media, including acrylic paint. I'm immediately drawn to the thick, almost sculptural application of paint. What strikes you most about the piece? Curator: Well, the first thing I notice is the emphasis on the materiality itself. Look at how the acrylic is built up, creating this heavily textured surface. It forces us to consider the physical act of painting, the labor involved in building up these layers of colour and form. How do you think this physicality impacts our understanding of "landscape" as a genre? Editor: That’s a great point! It definitely moves away from the idealized landscape painting towards something more tactile and process-oriented. I guess it asks us to consider what's being produced. Is this painting as an object more significant than the landscape that it may or may not be representing? Curator: Precisely. We can consider also the time it would take. Each stroke, each application, a decision related to labor and production. Moreover, how does this seemingly naive style, often dismissed within a certain art hierarchy, challenge traditional boundaries of 'high art' and the perceived skill involved? Does it democratize artmaking? Editor: I see what you mean. Because it looks less refined, more 'folksy,' it might feel more accessible, like something anyone could theoretically create. Which then makes us value the raw materials as an artifact of time, perhaps over a certain expertise... Curator: It challenges established norms. What we perceive and how the material comes into our presence really defines the message. I learned to observe production instead of the artist! Thank you. Editor: Exactly. I will certainly be questioning how materials and their use create meaning differently from now on. This has really been an eye opener!