Informal Conclave 1950 - 1951

Editor: This is Gordon Gilkey’s "Informal Conclave", made between 1950 and 1951 using linocut printmaking. It's all sharp angles and overlapping shapes, mostly in grays and blacks. It almost feels architectural, yet also a bit chaotic. What jumps out at you when you look at this piece? Curator: The first thing I see is labor, the sheer physicality of creating this complex image with linoleum. Consider the tools required, the pressure exerted. The textures—see how they vary, almost like fabric? Each cut a decision, a removal, a trace of human action. Given the date, post-war production and access to material become very relevant here. Editor: That's interesting; I was so focused on the final image. So, the fact that he used linocut, instead of say, etching, impacts its meaning? Curator: Absolutely. Linocut, often considered a craft medium, subverts expectations. This isn't some rarefied technique accessible only to the elite. This is a medium with industrial roots. The sharp lines echo the machine age, the repeatable nature of the print hinting at mass production. What kind of commentary might the artist be making? Editor: Maybe questioning the hierarchy between fine art and commercial design? Like, is the act of creating something that matters more than the materials or intended audience? Curator: Precisely! The ‘informal’ nature suggested in the title might then reflect on the state of the ‘conclave’ as unbound by these distinctions. Consider how the print can circulate and be owned, blurring boundaries around labor, production, and consumption, a real democratisation. Editor: Wow, I didn't even consider the socioeconomic implications of the medium itself! It really makes you think about what art is *made* of, not just what it depicts. Thanks. Curator: And the labour from which this piece emerged asks viewers to think further on these terms and others – to reflect on the making process as an intellectual space itself.