Zinc White 1929

Editor: Here we have "Zinc White," made around 1929 by Charles Roberson and Co. It’s… a jar of pigment. It seems less like art and more like a component. What do you make of this piece? Curator: Precisely! It foregrounds the means of artistic production. Roberson and Co., purveyors of art supplies, become the "artist." How does this shift in focus change our understanding of art-making? Editor: It’s almost like they’re highlighting the material labor that goes into creating art. Curator: Exactly. Think about the zinc extraction, the manufacturing processes. This challenges the romantic idea of the solitary artist, doesn't it? Editor: I guess so. I’d never really considered the industry behind the paint itself. Curator: Seeing this pigment isolated really drives home the material and social reality of art production.