Rex Orange (Molybdate Orange) c. 20 - 41

Editor: This is "Rex Orange (Molybdate Orange)," a pigment manufactured by Imperial Paper & Color Corp. It’s a peculiar kind of still life, really. The color swatch card is almost aggressively organized next to the soft, inviting color of the pigment itself. How do you interpret this work? Curator: It's a dance between the industrial and the artistic, isn't it? I imagine the artist who might wield this very pigment, conjuring sunsets or fiery abstracts. The clinical color chart serves as a grounding element, a reminder of the precise science underpinning art's more intuitive flights. Don't you think? Editor: I didn't consider the tension between the industrial and the artistic. I see how that adds depth. Curator: Exactly! It's a quiet conversation about control and freedom, order and chaos, all bottled up in a little jar of orange. Editor: I'll never look at a color the same way again!