Horizontal Painting in 7 Vertical Parts 1996

Editor: This is Alan Charlton’s "Horizontal Painting in 7 Vertical Parts," from 1996, crafted with acrylic paint. It’s…well, it’s very minimal. The repetition is almost meditative. What can you tell me about it? Curator: Note how Charlton restricts his palette, almost refusing colour, foregrounding the material presence of paint and the repetitive act of its application. Consider the ‘making’ visible. It is not an industrial production. How might Charlton, through repetitive acts of creation, mirror the monotony of factory labour, while simultaneously subverting it through artmaking? Editor: Subverting it how? Curator: Think about the traditional divide between "high art" and craft. Charlton blurs this line. Each stripe, while similar, possesses unique variations. The "hand" of the artist is evident, pushing against the uniformity that mechanized labour demands. Is this a commentary on de-skilling? Editor: That’s interesting! It makes me consider the physical process even more. I initially saw the seven parts as equal components. But each application, you are saying, has it own quality? Does the number seven have a symbolic relevance here? Curator: I encourage a close consideration of the labor inherent to repetitive practices and their socioeconomic conditions. Seven may carry connotations depending on your reading, but I’m interested in what that division, material division, means for how we understand process, artistic intention, and, even the market, that distributes works by someone like Charlton. Editor: That makes me think differently about minimalist art. I always thought it was about stripping everything away, but you’re pointing to what remains: the labour and materiality. Thanks! Curator: Absolutely. Understanding art through material analysis exposes complex relations to labour and capital, as the art work is first of all, materially grounded, no matter how reductive or elevated.