Alnium 1964

Editor: This is "Alnium" by Paul Feeley, created in 1964 using acrylic paint. The geometric pattern, rendered in cool lilac and warm orange, feels simultaneously retro and strangely contemporary. What stands out to you about this particular piece? Curator: What strikes me is how Feeley embraces acrylics, a relatively new material at the time, rejecting the traditional hierarchy of oil paints. This signals a deliberate move away from established artistic norms. We need to consider how the synthetic quality of acrylic contributes to the clean, almost mass-produced feel of the piece, connecting it to broader consumer culture. The flatness, a result of the material itself, is equally significant, dismissing painterly gesture. Editor: That's interesting! I hadn't really thought about how the choice of acrylic influences the whole aesthetic. Do you think the repetition in the pattern relates to the 'mass-produced feel' you mentioned? Curator: Absolutely. The repeated motif, painted with hard edges, reflects a kind of artistic labor that mimics industrial processes. Furthermore, color becomes another manufactured component – less about emotive expression, more about pre-determined selections, much like what you would see in design contexts outside of art. Thinking about art in 1964, what does embracing the ‘everyday’ say? Editor: So it's almost like Feeley is questioning what we even consider art by embracing industrial techniques and common materials. That challenges the traditional "art as craft" idea. Curator: Precisely! This piece provokes us to contemplate not just what we see, but how it was made, where the materials came from, and the socioeconomic implications embedded within. Editor: I’ll never look at abstract patterns the same way again!