Untitled 1976

Editor: This is an untitled oil painting by Manoucher Yektai, created in 1976. The thick impasto gives it such a tactile presence. I'm really struck by the physicality of the paint. What draws your attention in this piece? Curator: It's the application of the paint itself. Look at how Yektai builds up the surface, creating this almost sculptural relief. We have to consider the cost of materials like oil paint in 1976, a time of economic challenges. Was this extravagance? Was there a market ready for work with such apparent labor? Editor: So, the economic context informs the reading of the art itself? I wouldn’t have thought about that. Curator: Absolutely. The gesture is crucial. The very act of layering that amount of oil paint is, in and of itself, a commentary. Consider the cultural influences on Yektai, who lived between Iran and the US; what can that tell us about his creative process and choice of medium? Is this materiality related to notions of the land itself? Editor: It's interesting to think about his cultural position influencing not just the imagery, but the *way* the paint is applied. Does the medium itself become a form of cultural expression? Curator: Precisely. How does the consumption of art – its ownership, display, and circulation – affect the perception of materiality? What is revealed by understanding that Yektai, though abstract, continually engaged with landscape? Is the labor shown, also an allusion to a working-class background? Editor: This has really shifted my perspective. It's not just about what the painting depicts, but how it was made, why those materials, and what all that says about the artist and the time. Curator: And about how we value labor and material in art and life. That’s something to keep considering.