Landscape 1982

Editor: Here we have Elena Prentice’s "Landscape" from 1982, watercolor on paper. It's a simple composition, but the materiality of the watercolor is really interesting. How would you approach interpreting this piece? Curator: I'm drawn to the directness of the marks, the visible hand of the artist, and how the thinness of the watercolor reveals the paper itself. Do you think the date—January 16, 1982—written on the paper gives insight into the production of the art? Editor: It suggests a specific moment, a record of labor, maybe? Curator: Exactly. Prentice isn't trying to hide the process. She's showcasing the creation. We are looking at a record of material engagement and a kind of quiet consumption of the act of painting. Editor: That makes me think about the broader art market and the value we place on these intimate acts. Curator: Precisely! Prentice uses simple materials to make us question the value of art making. Editor: I hadn’t considered that! Thank you.