Abstract Composition 1914

Editor: Here we have David Burliuk's "Abstract Composition," painted in 1914 using mixed media. It’s quite striking, almost a fever dream of colour and rough textures. What's your take on this work? Curator: Looking at this piece, I'm immediately drawn to the materiality itself. Consider the oil paint, the very stuff of the painting, layered so thickly it almost becomes sculptural. You see the active labor, the physical effort in applying those strokes. Editor: That's a good point, I didn't initially pick up on the active process. Curator: Exactly! The painting process moves beyond simple representation, emphasizing the labor involved. Given the date, 1914, the question arises: How does the emerging industrial revolution influence art's raw material production? And furthermore, what happens to painting during periods of extensive societal shift and changing labor conditions? What happens when mechanized work increases, leaving less room for artistic individuality? Editor: So, you're seeing it as a response to changing times and conditions for the everyday person. Curator: Precisely. This work isn’t merely abstract; it's a record of a particular type of labor—an expressive, human labor resisting industrialization. It's fascinating to consider this tension captured in the materiality. Think about the supply chain required for Burliuk's materials. The mines producing metals for pigments, the fields growing flax for canvases, and factories processing them, the global trade allowing for the pigments' acquisition! Editor: I see the painting with a completely different lens now. I've never looked at the artist’s intention as a political point, it is definitely more than just strokes of color and geometric patterns. Curator: Absolutely, by focusing on the material reality of its production, this "Abstract Composition" tells us something concrete about art making in the face of an changing labor force.