Leuchtrot und gelb 1965

Editor: This is "Leuchtrot und gelb" – Light Red and Yellow – from 1965 by Rupprecht Geiger. It seems to be a print using acrylic paint and ink on paper. I am struck by how vibrant and bold it is; what’s your interpretation? Curator: I am fascinated by Geiger’s choices. Note the seemingly simple construction: two rectangular expanses of flat color. As a materialist, this grabs my attention. How does Geiger leverage the commercial production of paint to challenge the established hierarchies of artistic labor? Editor: What do you mean by "hierarchies?" Curator: Think about it. Traditionally, "high art," like painting, was distinguished by its unique creation, untouched by the mass-produced, or "low art" of design and industry. But Geiger embraces commercially available materials. The intense color pigments aren't handmade, rather readily available; calling into question these traditional divides. What’s so special about an artist making a colour from scratch? Is it labour for labour’s sake? Editor: So, he’s democratizing the artistic process? Curator: Perhaps. It's less about the artist's hand, and more about the conscious selection and arrangement of pre-existing, industrially-produced color. Think about the Pop Art movement contemporaneous with this work. Editor: That makes a lot of sense. The print medium itself is mass produced. Curator: Exactly! It asks us to consider the social and economic contexts surrounding artistic creation. Geiger is forcing us to focus on materiality and process, breaking down those established, privileged roles within the art world. Editor: It’s almost like the choice of material *is* the message. I’ll never look at a rectangle the same way.