Very Sharp 1965

Curator: It strikes me as joyful, like a vibrant city skyline shimmering at night, yet orderly. What’s your initial take? Editor: At first glance, there is something very deliberate in the application of paint—you can really sense the meticulousness. The deep blue ground emphasizes the luminosity of the colorful bands. Curator: That precision ties in with the Hard-Edge movement. This piece, titled "Very Sharp," was created in 1965 by Piero Dorazio. He's a key figure in abstract art, celebrated for his color-saturated canvases and geometric forms. Dorazio employed acrylic on canvas, layering color to achieve this particular optical vibrancy. Considering it was produced in 1965, a moment marked by revolutionary action on questions of race and identity, can one appreciate how this abstraction seeks transcendence and political neutrality? Editor: Perhaps. Yet I'm drawn to how the 'craft' element operates here, despite the geometry. Acrylic lends itself to that clean, smooth finish which is quite striking in its industrial feel and appearance. Do you get a sense of how the application technique underscores the perceived value judgments around labour versus artistic expression? Curator: Yes, definitely. He rejects those binaries, though. The piece challenges conventional notions of 'high art' through that exact interaction between materiality and process. Think about the significance of repetition within the context of Minimalism: here those painted stripes operate rhythmically, building a larger composition. Those bands feel like individuals contributing towards social change or unified political messaging. The question, in this sense, would be how Dorazio leverages material culture to further the claims he is advancing on art and aesthetic experience? Editor: I agree that this push-and-pull between individual expression and industrial mode are worth further investigation. However, I still maintain, that we can think more explicitly of how material application might impact upon this aesthetic encounter. To look at this, perhaps, within frameworks of immaterial labour and knowledge? Curator: Absolutely, engaging with immaterial labour offers fresh interpretative perspectives on contemporary issues as the meaning circulates between our encounters with materials and lived realities. Thanks for illuminating all this through "Very Sharp". Editor: Thank you; it's vital to consider the labour inherent in art and where artistic creation occurs in global material supply chains.