Untitled (Lawn Hair) 1969

This is Karl Wirsum’s "Untitled (Lawn Hair)", made using enamel on a metal lawn chair, but when? I wish the label gave us a date, damn these curators! It’s an object that invites you to consider the process of artmaking in relation to everyday life. The choice of a humble, mass-produced chair as the canvas immediately brings art off the pedestal. The bright, somewhat distressed enamel is really beautiful, the graphic rendering, the way the orange pops against that lush green, it’s incredibly appealing. Focusing on the chair's backrest, you can see how Wirsum used enamel paint to create an image of a figure with wild, untamed hair, or is it foliage? The title invites that reading. Look at the drips and imperfections, the unevenness, it’s all part of the charm. It's about embracing the tactile qualities of the material. Wirsum's work is often associated with the Chicago Imagists. Think of Ed Paschke, their shared interest in the bizarre and the vernacular, art is an ongoing dialogue, isn't it?