Challenge 1940

Agnes Lawrence Pelton created "Challenge" with oil on canvas. The smooth, luminous surface speaks to the careful layering of paint, a technique mastered through years of practice. Pelton's method involved building up thin glazes, allowing light to penetrate and reflect from within, creating an ethereal glow. This process demanded patience and control, and the final image emerges from a slow accumulation of labor. There is something of the decorative arts in the geometric symbols and curvilinear forms she uses, an aesthetic language she may have picked up from her exposure to the Arts and Crafts movement. It's an artistic tradition which valued handcraft over the perceived soullessness of industrial production. Yet, the painting also resonates with the sleek, streamlined forms associated with modern design. Pelton's technique, with its blend of patience and precision, mirrors the careful, deliberate process of spiritual seeking. "Challenge" asks us to consider how the act of making can itself be a form of contemplation.