Untitled 1997

Moshe Kupferman made this painting with graphite on canvas. Look closely, and you will see that the vertical lines extend across two different fields, a deep purple above and a pale grey beneath. Graphite lends itself to creating surfaces that can be worked and re-worked, and Kupferman has evidently done a lot of just that. There is an immense amount of labor involved in the production of this image. One almost imagines the artist as a kind of factory, relentlessly producing these subtle striations. The repetitive process results in a surface that vibrates with visual energy; yet also feels like a record of its making, and unmaking. Kupferman engaged with the traditions of painting, but also other histories of creative practices, such as textiles, architecture, and design. When we consider materiality, making, and context, we gain a better understanding of the artwork's full meaning, challenging the distinctions between fine art and craft.