Untitled 1961

Antonio Corpora made this 'Untitled' work with oil on canvas. The piece is an orchestration of color and gesture; areas of blended pastel hues bleed into pools of grey and purple, over which Corpora has painted a network of wiry lines and dark splatters. In applying paint this way, Corpora was subscribing to the tenets of abstract expressionism, a movement that valued the direct expression of the artist’s psyche through the manipulation of materials. The canvas bears the marks of Corpora’s hand, the visible labor of its making. Yet, while the act of painting might seem like a purely individual activity, it's crucial to remember that it is embedded in a broader social fabric. Corpora's choice of materials, his techniques, and his aesthetic sensibilities were all shaped by the world around him. By understanding the labor, materials, and context that constitute an artwork, we can appreciate its full significance, moving beyond traditional distinctions between art and craft.