Two Bars 1964

Editor: This is Adolph Gottlieb’s “Two Bars,” from 1964, acrylic on canvas. It's predominantly a soft pink with two distinct groupings of shapes. The right side feels like a solar flare. What can you tell me about it? Curator: Well, Gottlieb’s turn toward abstraction highlights a crucial shift in the art world’s engagement with materiality. We can examine the role of acrylic paint itself. The uniformity it provides, as opposed to oils, lends itself to a flattening of space. Think about the means of acrylic production during this time - petrochemical processes becoming more streamlined, the increased availability… Editor: So you’re saying that Gottlieb’s work, even though it looks very ‘high art’ and expressive, is directly tied to mass production? Curator: Absolutely. Abstract Expressionism is often considered deeply personal, almost spiritual. But by using commercially produced acrylic, Gottlieb embeds the artwork within the socio-economic fabric of the time. Consider the labor involved - from the factory workers making the paint to Gottlieb himself, methodically applying it. Do you think this reframes our understanding of "personal expression"? Editor: It definitely challenges it. The uniformity I initially saw now reads as something more… calculated? It makes me consider the accessibility of the work. Was Gottlieb democratizing art through the medium? Curator: Exactly! And also, what kind of market was Gottlieb producing for? Who consumes this artwork, and what social position does it project? It demands that we not only admire the aesthetic qualities, but also question the value system embedded within it. Editor: So looking at the 'material' literally brings into view the whole production process that leads to our consumption of art. That is more than I expected. Curator: Precisely. Considering this work within that context, makes the shapes – and especially the 'bars' – appear as emblems of commodification and production itself, forcing a reckoning of form, industry, and value.