Red Barn with Flatbed Truck c. 1940s

Curator: This is John Conway Menihan’s “Red Barn with Flatbed Truck,” a print from the 1940s. The subject is, as you can guess, a red barn scene! Editor: It definitely has a very folksy, almost naive quality, with the simplified forms and slightly skewed perspective. How would you interpret this print? Curator: From a materialist perspective, I think we need to consider how Menihan uses the printmaking process. This wasn’t just about representing a scene; it was about the act of production. The creation of multiple prints makes it accessible, reproducible. Notice the labor involved in the execution, and then consider the broader social context of its consumption. Do you think the printing technique affects our understanding of the subject matter, compared to, say, a painting? Editor: Absolutely. The very nature of a print – the multiplication of images – democratizes the art form. It makes it less precious, more aligned with everyday life. This image, especially with its subject matter – a working farm, a flatbed truck – already feels very grounded. It doesn’t need to be something only accessible to elites. What does this tell us about its time, or maybe even its purpose? Curator: Well, considering the Regionalist style that Menihan was a part of, you might say that it captures the idealization of rural life during the 1940s. But this artistic creation is deeply connected to social factors: class and taste formation, accessible to ordinary folk. Now, looking at the choice of colors, how would you say they are deployed? Editor: The dominance of the red definitely reinforces that feeling, I suppose! Everything returns to materiality. I see that I often don’t consider that point of view. Curator: Seeing through the lens of production and consumption definitely enriches your experience.