Untitled 1968

Editor: This is an untitled drawing by Tom Wesselmann from 1968, rendered in colored pencil. There’s something almost aggressively sensual about it. What strikes you when you look at it? Curator: I’m drawn to the materiality of the colored pencil, how the artist transforms this relatively humble tool into a vehicle for representing commodified sexuality. Consider the process – the repetitive, almost industrial act of applying these strokes. How does this seemingly simple act become something we associate with Pop Art’s critique of mass production and consumption? Editor: That's interesting. It makes me think about how Pop Art used everyday objects in a high art context. Curator: Exactly. And here, a specific body part, heavily laden with connotations of sexual appeal, is the 'product'. Think about the labor involved – Wesselmann, the 'manufacturer,' producing this image, a consumable object divorced from a real body and relationships. Do you see echoes of advertising techniques in this hyper-realistic and overtly sexualized representation? Editor: I do now! The crispness reminds me of print ads, emphasizing desire, as if selling something. It’s definitely making me question how we turn intimacy into a commodity. Curator: And isn't that Wesselmann's point? He encourages us to question the line between art, craft, and commerce, prompting reflections about how female sexuality is presented and consumed in society. Editor: Looking at the image with all of those considerations in mind certainly provides a completely different interpretation. Curator: Indeed. Examining the means of production and social context makes art like this truly come alive.