The Small Black Holes 1927

Editor: This is "The Small Black Holes," an oil on textile work from 1927 by Serge Charchoune. The thick application of paint gives a heavily textured feel, and the shapes appear to float against the blue backdrop. What draws your eye to this piece? Curator: I’m struck by the materiality, immediately. It is oil paint used so densely on, what looks like, a coarse textile. This subverts the expectation of the canvas as a pristine ground for fine art. Considering that Charchoune was working in a period of rapid industrialization, do you think he's deliberately bringing the textures of the everyday—the woven fabric—into the realm of high art? Editor: That's a good point! So, is the contrast between the traditional medium of oil paint and the use of textile significant? Curator: Absolutely. We see how the traditional hierarchy of materials, and therefore of labor, is flattened. The texture itself, born from the application and the inherent qualities of the paint, is critical. The very "stuff" of the artwork challenges the boundaries of "high" art. Are those small, evenly spaced circles along the borders simply decorative or do you see something more to them? Editor: Hmm, they are intriguing, a kind of mechanical rhythm. Like rivets, almost? Does that connect to your argument about industrialisation? Curator: Precisely. And consider the title - "The Small Black Holes." In the context of materials, perhaps the black holes refer to points of absorption, points where material and labour disappear into the making. Think about it – the paint and fabric themselves consume the artist’s time, effort and capital. They disappear, transformed, into art. Editor: I’d never considered the title in that way. So, by emphasizing the physicality and labor involved, Charchoune's art challenges our preconceived notions about artistic value and production? Curator: Precisely. The work encourages us to reconsider how value is constructed and attached to an art object. Thank you for helping to think about the art with the material!