Stage Proof 10 1972

Curator: "Stage Proof 10" by Richard Hamilton—it’s just so cool, so aloof. Editor: It strikes me as a study in the obscuring of vision, both literally and perhaps metaphorically. Curator: Yeah, it's this weird snapshot—or maybe it's the other way around, the media gaze obscuring reality? Editor: Hamilton's flattening of the image and use of bold color blocks definitely pushes it beyond a simple reproduction. There's a critique of representation at play. Curator: Absolutely, this work, so characteristic of Hamilton, uses this screenprint, like the world, to create a new, abstracted layer. Editor: The facelessness, the averted gazes... it all contributes to a sense of unease. A critique of celebrity, perhaps? Curator: Well, no matter the subject, this piece, for me, is always a little bit about the things you can't ever see. Editor: Yes, it's certainly a powerful reminder of the limits of perception.