Banners 2010

Editor: This striking work is entitled "Banners," created by Charles Gibbons in 2010 using acrylic on canvas. The division into three panels, alongside the bold use of colour, immediately draws my attention. I’m curious, what production or making-of elements stand out to you? Curator: The very title, "Banners," suggests a connection to manufacturing. Were these truly intended as elevated 'art' or potential designs meant to be reproduced for wider circulation? Consider the acrylic medium – affordable and easily mass-produced, moving away from traditional fine art materials. What does that signify? Editor: That's a really interesting way to think about it. So the use of acrylic, and the potential for mass production through designs...it suggests a blurring of lines between high art and, say, commercial design. But does that also influence our understanding of authorship? Curator: Absolutely. We’re drawn into questions about the role and skill of the artist as solitary creator. Are we celebrating the expressive paint stroke, or contemplating a commentary on the industrialized image? I’d even argue that the ‘paint stroke’ isn’t an inherent expression of feeling but becomes the brand logo, the hallmark for which people will eventually purchase an ‘original’ work. Editor: That makes a lot of sense when you consider the social context - 2010, digital technology accelerating, readily-available art supplies...It really encourages me to reconsider what constitutes artistic skill in the 21st century. Curator: Exactly. By examining how it was made, the artist’s relationship to the materials, and considering its relationship to mass-manufacturing techniques, we can view "Banners" not just as a decorative piece, but as an investigation of our very ideas about the process of art and labor. Editor: I didn’t initially connect those components. It’s like uncovering layers beyond just visual appeal, seeing the work as an exploration of material and labor within a broader market! Curator: Precisely. Hopefully that helps give you another lens to look through the next time.