Fred 1980

This is Henry Chalfant's photograph of a New York City subway car, and what strikes me first are these gestural marks and bold colors, red and white, that mimic Warhol's soup cans. I can just imagine the graffiti artists approaching the train car, cans in hand, ready to mark their territory, to transform this utilitarian object into something loud, something seen, into something other. And here, Chalfant captures a moment in the life of a fleeting artwork; he sympathizes with the artists, immortalizing their act of rebellion. Look closely, you can see the imperfect hand of the artists, the drips, the blurred lines. Each can is labeled with its own title: "Tomato Soup", "Futurist Soup"... each can is a conversation, an echo, of other art. Artists, whether with spray paint or oil paint, are in an ongoing exchange, inspiring, responding, riffing off one another’s ideas. Each mark holds the artist’s intention and meaning, open to your interpretation.