Painted canvas fragment c. 20th century

Editor: Here we have a fragment, a painted canvas piece by Barnett Newman. It's undated, yet the raw canvas and bold strokes of orange and white hint at something primal. How do we interpret this piece? Curator: Consider the means of production. The visible weave, the ragged edge—Newman strips away the artifice. What was the role of the canvas maker here, the pigment supplier? The labor involved is just as crucial as Newman’s application of paint. Editor: So you’re saying it’s less about the finished image and more about what went into making it? Curator: Exactly! It prompts us to think about the commerce of art, the socio-economic structures that underpin even the most abstract expression. It also makes us wonder, what were the social conditions surrounding the use, and possible rejection, of this fragment? Editor: That’s a completely different way of seeing it; I hadn't thought about it that way before!