Orion Blanc Positive 1970

Editor: So, this is Victor Vasarely’s "Orion Blanc Positive," created in 1970 using acrylic paint. It’s a vibrant piece, and I am struck by the sheer amount of work that must have gone into painting all of those little squares and circles so precisely. How do you see it? Curator: Precisely! That repetition speaks volumes. Think about the context: 1970. Mass production was booming. Vasarely's process mimics industrial production, doesn't it? The hard-edged geometry, the consistent application of acrylic...it almost seems mechanically produced, despite being handmade. It challenges the traditional notion of the artist as a unique genius. Editor: So you're saying that the materials and process comment on consumerism? It’s less about individual expression and more about a… system? Curator: Absolutely. Acrylic itself, a relatively new material then, signals this shift. It was inexpensive, easily manipulated. He wasn't using traditional oil paints passed down through generations of masters. And consider the title: "Orion Blanc Positive." The industrial sounding language used to label a process with no hand craft. Editor: It’s interesting how the geometric shapes could be seen to refer to printed circuit boards or machine parts too. Curator: Precisely, It’s all connected. This connects his works to the rising importance of new material and industries on society and its art production in that time. Editor: I hadn’t thought of it that way, but looking at the work from the viewpoint of the artist labor helps it make more sense to me. Curator: And hopefully that reveals some underlying systems driving our interpretation. I like how, through this new lens, art becomes less like looking and more like discovering.