Four Oranges 1993

Editor: Here we have "Four Oranges," created in 1993 by Donald Sultan, using acrylic paint. The first thing that strikes me is the bold use of color, that high-contrast green and orange really jumps out. What do you see in this piece, from an art history perspective? Curator: From a formalist approach, I am particularly drawn to the flatness of the composition. Note how Sultan renders the oranges as almost pure, unbroken circles of intense color. What effect does this flatness achieve, especially in relation to the aggressively textured background? Editor: It makes them almost feel like flat shapes floating on top of a field of chaotic marks. Like the image has been simplified to almost basic forms and colour. Curator: Precisely. And how do those stark shapes and the textured green backdrop interact? Consider the interplay of positive and negative space, the way the artist challenges our perception of depth. Editor: I guess the textural variance stops it being entirely flat - so it’s a visual game! I suppose there's something quite graphic about it too, the composition feels more like a striking print than a traditional still life. Curator: Indeed. It rejects traditional illusionism for a focus on the pure visual experience. The subject, mundane as it is, serves primarily as a vehicle for exploring formal relationships and the language of painting itself. Have you noticed any similar elements of composition across this gallery? Editor: Actually, now that you point it out, I can see some artists experimenting with flattened planes in their landscape painting and others exploring texture in abstract art. Thank you. That gives me a great place to start exploring how to connect with the broader scope of 20th-century painting techniques.