The First Real Target? 1961

Curator: Hello and welcome. Today, we're looking at Peter Blake's 1961 piece, "The First Real Target?" which currently resides here at the Tate Modern. Editor: Immediately, the directness of it strikes me – bam! – right between the eyes, or trying to, anyway. It's deceptively simple, almost playful. The circles vibrate, don’t they? Making me want to…fling something. Curator: Indeed. Blake, known for his pivotal role in British Pop Art, often incorporated pre-existing imagery. In this instance, the target becomes a fascinating motif, loaded with possible meanings beyond its obvious function. Editor: And those meanings... ooof. Makes you think about what we *choose* to aim at, doesn't it? The bullseye glares at me and there is also something ironic or perhaps a wink toward abstract expressionism from that period. You know how Rothko's blocks of color were intended to evoke feeling...and this? This *almost* feels like its opposite, or the same, which is really kind of a brain pretzel. Curator: Precisely! Targets, historically, symbolize achievement, success. But within a post-war context, particularly during the escalating Cold War, they inevitably suggest a more ominous interpretation – pointing to our vulnerabilities. Editor: Yeah, 'vulnerability' nailed it. The muted browns in the background also dull down any kind of optimistic joy; then "the first real target" is kind of scary with that tiny little question mark, right? Curator: Yes, even the construction of it lends to this unsettling feeling. Blake utilizes painted hardboard along with those regimented painted rings... then this sort of nostalgic lettering to push his point about innocence perhaps becoming threatened in those times? Editor: You know, after chewing on this for a few minutes, that almost unsettling simplicity becomes genius. How it grabs us, poking and prodding our deeper fears. A visual koan, maybe? Curator: It’s this unsettling resonance that makes it endure and also perhaps warns to consider if that target is ourselves? Editor: Wow, a kind of psychological hall of mirrors... I love when art sneaks up on you like that!