Curatorial notes
Editor: This untitled painting by Richard Smith from the Tate collection overwhelms you with its yellows. What historical context can illuminate Smith's choices? Curator: Smith’s work is tied to the politics of postwar consumer culture. His interest in advertising imagery reflects how consumerism shapes our identities. Editor: How so? Curator: The scale and vibrancy of the yellows can be interpreted as mimicking the persuasive power of advertising, inviting us to consider how marketing influences our desires. Do you feel implicated by this vibrancy? Editor: I do, and I hadn't thought about consumerism's role in abstract painting before. Curator: Considering these paintings through the lens of cultural critique and consumerism, changes everything.
