Hemlines and Sightlines 2019

Editor: So, here we have Carrie Graber's 2019 painting, "Hemlines and Sightlines," made with acrylic paint. There's something almost theatrical about it – the bright colors, the figures posed in this retro-inspired interior... What are your thoughts on this piece? Curator: This painting feels very deliberate in its choices. Consider the material reality of its construction: acrylic on canvas, suggesting an interest in mass-produced, readily available media. It signals a break from traditional oil painting, aligning it with more accessible forms of artistic expression. Editor: I see what you mean! So, you’re suggesting that the very materials challenge traditional notions of "high" art? Curator: Exactly! And look closer: the manufactured quality extends to the subject matter – the carefully curated interior, the depiction of mid-century figures like Marilyn Monroe and Sophia Loren. What labor went into designing this interior, assembling those furnishings? Graber is presenting us with a manufactured reality, critiquing the processes of consumption and display inherent in art itself. Even those lights reflected on the floor contribute to a commodified sensibility, a feeling that we are observing a curated image rather than real life. Editor: So it’s not just about what is shown, but how it's made and presented that matters. The acrylic paint becomes a tool to comment on the consumer culture surrounding art. Curator: Precisely. Think about where art like this is typically consumed - galleries, private homes – spaces of privilege. Graber forces us to examine the social context and the means of production that shape our experience of art. Editor: That really makes me rethink my initial impression of it just being 'pretty.' It's so much more about the materials and the underlying social structures! Curator: Right! And that’s the power of considering the materialist perspective; it shifts our focus from the surface to the complex web of relationships behind the artwork.