Blue Paint Tubes 1990

Here we see Arman’s ‘Blue Paint Tubes,’ made with, well, blue paint tubes. It’s a relief and also a kind of painting or drawing made with real stuff. You can see the material quality so clearly; the tubes, with their luscious blue goop emerging from each one. The texture's really something – the slick, squeezed trails of blue paint contrasting with the metallic crumple of the tubes. Look at how each blue line varies; some are thick and juicy, others thin and tentative, each with its own character. The trails become like rain or tears, maybe even little screams from the tortured tubes! This piece reminds me of Kurt Schwitters, or even Piero Manzoni with those 'Artist's Shit' cans. It’s a comment on artmaking itself – the materials, the waste, the gesture. Is it a celebration or a critique? Or maybe both? Art doesn't have to choose; it can be a beautiful mess, just like life.