Drawing for "48" Standards" 1969 - 1972

Editor: This is Mel Bochner's "Drawing for '48' Standards,'" created sometime around 1968. It depicts a rectangle with measurements, and it feels… almost like a blueprint. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Bochner's work invites us to question the very nature of standardization and its impact on our perception. Consider the social context of the late 60s, a time of intense questioning of norms. Editor: So, the drawing is less about the rectangle itself and more about the idea of imposing standards? Curator: Exactly! What power structures are embedded within these seemingly neutral measurements? How does standardization affect individual expression? Editor: It’s interesting to consider how even something as simple as measurement can be a social construct. Curator: Precisely. Bochner's drawing prompts us to analyze the forces shaping our world. Editor: I will definitely think more about what is measured and why.