Once Upon a Time There Was Oil I 1982

Editor: So, this is Terry Setch's, "Once Upon a Time There Was Oil I," part of the Tate collection. It's undated, but just looking at the textures and how the oil paint is applied so thickly, I wonder about the process. What do you see in it? Curator: I see an engagement with the materiality of oil itself. Setch seems to be exploring oil as both medium and subject, highlighting the social and ecological costs embedded in its extraction and consumption. Note the aggressive, almost violent application of the paint. Editor: So, not just a pretty picture, but a commentary on the oil industry itself? Curator: Exactly. The physical properties of the paint become a vehicle for conveying the destructive impact of our reliance on oil. It makes you think about the labor involved, doesn't it? Editor: It really does. I never would have considered the process so deeply. Curator: That's the beauty of art; it can transform our understanding of even the most familiar materials.