Neigeoliale 1976

Editor: This is "Neigeoliale," painted in 1976 by Marcel Barbeau. Looking at the canvas, I'm struck by the layered textures and chaotic energy; there's almost too much happening! What do you see in this piece? Curator: What interests me most is Barbeau’s approach to materiality here. Forget the subject, what about the impasto technique itself? How does the physicality of the paint, the specific tools he used – brushes, palette knives maybe – shape our understanding of the artwork? Look at the gestures! Editor: The brushstrokes are really evident; you can almost see his movements as he worked. It feels very spontaneous. Curator: Precisely. That deliberate layering also raises questions about process. Was it truly spontaneous or carefully constructed? Were those layers built over time? What was the relationship of that physical process to art making in Montreal at the time? Was he using unconventional tools to apply the paint? Editor: I see what you mean. It's less about what he's depicting and more about how he’s working with the material itself, and in dialogue with art production itself. It sort of challenges the traditional notion of "high art." Curator: Absolutely. By emphasizing the physicality and the act of creation, Barbeau blurs the lines between fine art and craft. Think about it in terms of labor; the sheer effort of layering all that paint is considerable. And what kind of access would he, or anyone, have to paint at the time? How does the availability of those resources play into it? Editor: So it's about seeing the art object as a product of labor and material conditions, not just as a representation of something else. It reframes the value, not as an untouchable precious thing, but instead based in the artist's actions and materials. Curator: Exactly. It is about the tangible elements that form this painting. What a different way of seeing abstract painting! Editor: This perspective makes me think about art very differently.