No! No! Cézanne never used it c. 1934

Editor: Here we have William Roberts's "No! No! Cézanne never used it," a pencil drawing on paper. The figures are so blocky and stylized. What can you tell me about it? Curator: Look at the grid. It’s crucial. Roberts uses it to control and standardize his forms. It points to a mass-production aesthetic, doesn't it? The comment about Cézanne also brings up the artistic labor being critiqued here. What do you make of that? Editor: So, it's about the industrialization of art making itself? I hadn't considered the grid in that way! Curator: Precisely. The grid speaks volumes about artistic production. Roberts is questioning the role of the artist in a changing world.