Painted canvas strips c. 20th century

Editor: This is a piece by Barnett Newman called "Painted canvas strips," of indeterminate date, located at the Harvard Art Museums. It's a bundle of painted canvas fragments. It seems so simple, almost like discarded materials. What do you see in this work? Curator: The interplay of raw canvas and meticulously applied paint, the varying widths, and the deliberate arrangement—or perhaps disarrangement—invite a structural reading. Consider the tension between the flatness of the painted surface and the implied depth created by the layering of the strips. Editor: So, it's less about what it depicts, and more about how it's put together? The composition itself is the statement? Curator: Precisely. The materiality takes precedence. The work resists narrative interpretation, urging us instead to confront its formal properties and the artist's process. Editor: I'm starting to appreciate the intentionality behind the seemingly random arrangement. It's thought-provoking. Curator: Indeed, and the absence of a definitive date further complicates our understanding, challenging conventional art historical narratives.