Development TK Como 1970

Editor: Here we have Robert Goodnough's "Development TK Como," created in 1970 using acrylic paint. The monochrome palette gives it this ethereal, almost ghostly feel. How would you interpret a work like this? Curator: Well, its ethereal quality places it firmly within the trajectory of late modernism. Artists at this time were interrogating the very institutions that supported them. The use of such subtle colour washes—do you see how the forms almost dissolve into the canvas? —can be seen as a quiet rejection of the bombastic heroic narratives that preceded it. Think of the shift in how museums themselves were perceived. Editor: So it's a response to, or maybe a criticism of, earlier movements? Curator: Precisely! Consider the broader social context. 1970 was a period of significant social upheaval. Artists, reflecting that unrest, began questioning the established norms. This abstraction can be seen as a commentary on established systems collapsing or being reconfigured. What institutions did Goodnough engage with? Knowing the galleries or museums showing his work at that time could reveal what power structures he was potentially reacting to. Editor: That's fascinating! I never thought about the colour choice reflecting any political agenda. Curator: Absolutely! Color is never neutral. So what could this imply about an embrace or a rejection of such movements as Pop Art? This opens up entirely new paths of inquiry when researching such a piece! Editor: I see that color more as a purposeful message. Thanks. Curator: The beauty of art history is how a single work opens onto so many possible narratives!