Study for a Painting 1938

Editor: This is Ad Reinhardt’s "Study for a Painting" from 1938, oil on canvas, here at MoMA. I’m struck by the flatness of the shapes and the limited color palette. How do you read this painting? Curator: It is a fantastic example of material exploration within early American abstraction. Considering its historical moment – just before the explosion of Abstract Expressionism – look at how Reinhardt is grappling with the very properties of oil paint. Notice the visible brushstrokes in the brown background; the materiality is emphasized rather than hidden. Editor: So you're saying the *act* of painting is as important as what's depicted? Curator: Exactly! Consider the social context. Reinhardt, like many artists during the Depression era, was influenced by leftist politics and a questioning of traditional artistic values. What do you think about that relationship here? Editor: I guess...it’s hard to see overt political content. Curator: It's not about direct representation, but the very subversion of high art. He’s flattening the image, using simple shapes, and frankly, making a painting that could be reproduced, mimicking commercial art practices and reflecting a shift in cultural production and the means of dissemination. The title reinforces it is merely a 'study'. Editor: I see that tension now between the hand-painted elements and this reproducible quality you mentioned. The “X” feels…deliberately simplistic. Curator: Precisely. And how does this relate to later movements like Pop Art? We need to see how materiality evolves, or perhaps degrades with the changing times. How has Reinhardt played with your consumption, Editor? Editor: He’s made me think about what I value in painting. I usually go for emotion, but this makes me focus on the construction of the image itself. Curator: And how those methods of creation reflected its particular society. That the value in the study lies not in what it means, but the potential, physical processes available and the labor in application of those tools. It definitely shifted my perspective on what makes a work significant!