Waterfall 1943

Editor: Arshile Gorky's "Waterfall," painted in 1943 with acrylic paint, has such a light and airy quality despite the complex web of lines. The splashes of color seem almost buoyant. What do you make of this painting? Curator: It's crucial to understand the production of "Waterfall" within its specific historical context. 1943 was a time of significant material shortages due to World War II. Gorky’s use of thinned acrylic, likely a way to stretch limited resources, inadvertently creates this sense of lightness. Think about the rationing of materials, the impact on artists... it’s all tied in. Editor: So, the material scarcity directly influenced his style? Curator: Precisely. The application, almost like watercolor, deviates from the impasto techniques common among his peers at the time. Was this a deliberate stylistic choice, or was it driven by access to and choices with the very material? It's vital to consider what constraints might have shaped this seemingly spontaneous abstraction. The organic forms, are they referencing landscape, or something more psychological? What available materials made Gorky turn into acrylic paint? Editor: I never really thought about material limitations influencing abstract expressionism like this, more as an outpouring of emotion! Curator: It's easy to get caught up in the expressive aspect, but consider the labor involved in preparing the paint, stretching the canvas, the act of creation, the physical engagement with material. Do you consider that “Abstract Expressionism”, because there are a few paintings using acrylics but this would only start becoming popular on the next decade. So do we tag it by material instead of following an art movement based on its theme? Editor: That’s a great point. It's fascinating how those limitations gave rise to new approaches and aesthetics. I'll definitely look at art through that lens from now on. Curator: Indeed, paying attention to the materiality challenges those conventional definitions of abstraction and how art movements come to existence in the first place.