L'Inconnu 

Curator: The surface of this painting titled "L'Inconnu" practically leaps out at you. It appears to be acrylic on canvas with heavy impasto. I am interested in how the very tangible texture influences our perception. What grabs your attention initially? Editor: I notice the geometric shapes, the primary colors, and especially that super thick paint! The white areas almost feel sculpted rather than just painted. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Let's focus on the application. Bogart's thick layering of paint, a distinctly physical act, rejects the illusionism so central to art history. It pushes painting toward objecthood. How does understanding the 'making' of this artwork, the sheer labour and material involved, change your understanding of it? Editor: I see what you mean! Knowing how much physical effort went into this challenges me to see past the colors and shapes. The artist's work becomes visible. Curator: Exactly! We can ask questions: how did his tools shape this painting? Did he build his surfaces in stages? What are his choices with materials and tools actually communicating about the social and economic dimensions of art-making in that era? The Abstract Expressionists turned away from traditional fine art; they used innovative media. It's about rejecting traditional class hierarchies between the fine arts and applied art. What do you think about that tension? Editor: It sounds like he’s making a statement through his materials and method. This moves past the picture to communicate something much more grounded. Curator: And to see 'L'Inconnu' in relation to its production is essential. Bogart's choice of such heavy, tactile materiality rejects pictorial traditions. The piece transforms from a flat surface into an actual physical space. We start to comprehend its profound message: material becomes meaning. Editor: This focus on materials really reframes how I see abstract art. I appreciate seeing beyond the surface and understanding the artist's decisions and effort!