Abstraction 

The 20th-century artwork, "Abstraction," by Mark Beck, is executed in oil paint on canvas, a traditional medium for fine art. The artist employs loose brushstrokes and vibrant colors to create an abstract composition that rejects representational art, prioritizing texture, form, and color, allowing the qualities of the oil paint to shine through. The thickness and viscosity of the paint enable Beck to build layers, add depth, and texture to the canvas, manipulating the medium in a way that is both gestural and deliberate. By engaging with painting, Beck ties himself to a long history of creative practices and aesthetics, alongside that of craft and fine arts. In painting, the labor, politics, and consumption are inherently embedded in the artwork. Ultimately, appreciating the artist's engagement with materials, the making process, and its historical context is essential to understanding the work, challenging traditional distinctions between fine art and craft.