Hilights 1980

Curator: Okay, let's take a closer look at "Hilights" by Walter Darby Bannard, an acrylic on canvas from 1980. I find myself completely lost in it, like staring at sunlight through lemon juice. What does it spark for you? Editor: My first impression? It feels incredibly energetic! All that bright yellow, swaths of layered textures—it’s like a field vibrating with life. There's a real immediacy in the gesture and composition. Curator: It certainly pushes the boundaries of color field painting. Bannard was deeply invested in the expressive possibilities of abstraction. You see how the darker, sinuous lines cut through the yellow? They bring such dimension. Editor: Right! They create a dynamic tension. The artist’s hand is so present here—you can almost feel the movement as the paint was applied. Did he use palette knives, do you think? The impasto is so pronounced. Curator: Likely, yes. He was always experimenting with gels and mediums to get different effects. The aim wasn't representation but an experience—to let the materiality of the paint evoke a feeling, maybe even a memory. These were created, if you remember, when abstraction started losing traction in the artworld. Editor: That's interesting. It's a defiance against minimalism—a declaration that abstract art can still be emotional and present. It refuses to fade into the background; it practically jumps off the canvas. Considering the climate and other artworks coming from 1980's galleries, the bold choice makes it really stand out from other movements that defined art's trajectory then. Curator: It's a celebration of pure, unadulterated color. There is so much complexity in it; something really primal to it that resonates. You find something new every time you look at it, you know? Editor: Agreed. I'd love to stand here for longer and keep losing myself. This piece embodies what great abstraction should do: It draws you in and invites you to explore the depths of its purely chromatic energy.