Stringy Bark Creek 1972

Editor: Here we have Sidney Nolan's *Stringy Bark Creek*, which seems to depict a scene of violence. What strikes me is the stark contrast between the almost cartoonish figures and the potential gravity of the situation. What's your take on this work? Curator: I'm drawn to the labor and materiality evident, even in reproduction. Consider the means of production: the creation of the pigment, the canvas preparation, and the social context surrounding its creation. Nolan is challenging traditional boundaries. Editor: How so? Curator: By using such simplified forms to address a complex, perhaps violent, historical event, he blurs the lines between high art and something more accessible, akin to folk art or even propaganda. I wonder what materials influenced the social statement it makes. Editor: That's really fascinating; I hadn't considered the blurred lines between high art and other forms. Curator: Considering the means of production definitely shifts one's perspective.