Farm Channel 1996

Curator: This is Wayne Thiebaud's "Farm Channel," an oil on canvas he created in 1996. Editor: Immediately striking, isn't it? There's an almost dreamlike quality, the colors so saturated, almost clashing, but somehow harmonizing into a rather strange yet compelling landscape. It feels vaguely unsettling. Curator: That unsettling feeling, I think, comes from Thiebaud’s almost sculptural approach to the paint itself. Notice how thickly the oil paint has been applied to the canvas. Editor: Absolutely. You can practically feel the texture beneath your fingertips. But it's the perspective that truly unnerves. The bird's-eye view coupled with the vibrant colours creates this sensation of being slightly detached. It also has gendered association with nature, how the lands are used and owned has deep roots. Curator: It’s interesting that you pick up on that. The production of such a work like "Farm Channel" takes a great amount of preparation. Canvases are stretched, prepped. Pigments are extracted, mulled with oils. He’s part of a larger market for agriculture as well, dependent on the local economies around him to thrive as well. Editor: Precisely! Thinking about the history of landscape painting, who is allowed to even have the financial agency to even paint these idyllic representations. It reflects the hierarchies deeply embedded into society, and land-use, where labor is sourced for these commodities. Curator: He also adds line and tone, even as his brushstrokes add the suggestion of texture and dimension. The lines also carve out the plots of land that reflect production goals for their intended economic profits. Editor: Yes. I think in examining it further, "Farm Channel" almost feels like a visual metaphor, prompting reflection of nature within the larger machine of cultural, economic and gendered associations in modern living. Curator: Indeed. When examining an art piece, such as "Farm Channel", you consider everything about the production, starting with labor, the history of its making, the role of artist, all aspects that make up the art and artistic expression. Editor: And for me, it makes me question the legacy that is left from "Farm Channel." There are political underpinnings that require discussion and re-evaluation about modern landscapes like Thiebaud's painting.