Green and Orange 1970

Editor: So, here we have Terry Frost's "Green and Orange" from 1970. It looks like a screen print, with these bold geometric shapes… kind of playful, actually. What strikes you when you look at this work? Curator: The silkscreen, that commercial process elevated to fine art, is key. Frost used its capabilities for flat, vibrant colour to explore pure form. Consider the labor involved, not just Frost's artistic vision, but the printer’s skill, the inks formulated, and the physical act of pulling the squeegee. It challenges the myth of the artist as a solitary genius. Editor: So, you're saying the materials and process are as important as the image itself? I guess I always thought of printmaking as, well, just making copies. Curator: Exactly. But the "copy" has its own materiality and exists within a wider social and economic context. It forces us to think about production – the accessibility of art and its value as a commodity. Where does this piece fit into a consumerist society? Editor: Hmmm, it makes me think about Pop Art now, this bridging of high art and mass production. I didn’t really see that connection at first. Curator: And consider where those colours come from: factories manufacturing paints, the energy needed to transport those pigments, even the marketing strategies used to sell them. All part of the artwork's extended life. Editor: Wow, I never considered all that went into it! It really changes how I see it. Now I see the social aspect rather than just basic shapes and colours. Curator: Precisely. Seeing art as deeply connected to its making transforms our understanding. The “Green and Orange” are not just aesthetic choices, they’re the culmination of complex production networks.