Untitled c. 1960

Editor: We’re looking at Franz Kline’s “Untitled” from around 1960, a mixed media drawing featuring striking black forms. The raw energy of the lines is quite compelling. What can you tell us about it? Curator: Let's consider the labor embedded within these gestural marks. Kline, like many Abstract Expressionists, rejected traditional easel painting for larger formats, often working on the floor. Think about the physicality of that – the artist engaging directly with the material, the movement required to create these sweeping gestures. Editor: That makes me think about how immediate the painting feels, but also the skill involved in making such bold marks. Curator: Exactly. And look at the 'mixed media' aspect. What’s suggested by the combination of materials? Is it about economy? Experimentation? The way different media accept and reject each other? Remember that the art market dictates value. High art media – oils, bronze – traditionally hold greater esteem than, say, house paint or found objects. Where does this drawing fit into that hierarchy? Editor: So, by using mixed media, Kline challenges what is considered valuable in art? Curator: Precisely. And it makes you consider the context: the rise of consumer culture in the 1960s, where 'making' became increasingly separate from 'using.' Kline’s work then serves as a kind of record, isn’t it? An index of a body actively engaged in material transformation. Editor: I see what you mean! It gives a completely new layer to the term “abstract expressionism” by making you focus on its literal meaning, not just the surface! Curator: And what is "expression," but the tangible, material trace of a body in action? Editor: That is true! I will not look at abstraction the same way from now on. Thank you!