Couleurs de l’amour c. 1983

Editor: We’re looking at Chagall’s *Couleurs de l’amour* from around 1983, rendered with acrylic paint. I find it to be a riot of color, and I'm curious how its abstraction ties into the tradition of love as a subject in art. What stands out to you when you see this? Curator: The materiality immediately strikes me. Acrylic, relatively new at the time, allowed for such vibrant color, challenging the established norms of oil painting and its associated prestige. The 'love' isn't just in the subject, but also the very substance of the painting itself. How does this break with earlier visual depictions of the 'lovers' found within painting of previous generations? Editor: That's an interesting point, shifting our focus from subject matter to the medium itself as a signifier. I guess previous methods, like oil paints, had established techniques that spoke more to historical notions of wealth, but I hadn't considered it so overtly until now. What’s significant about that shift for an artist like Chagall? Curator: Consider the mass production of acrylics – it democratizes access to art making. This reflects a broader social shift. While he references the human figure, he dissolves them into a matrix of pure chromatic experience. Look closely at how the swirls of color operate: Does the loose handling undermine ideas around control that relate back to the hierarchies surrounding fine art traditions and painting at the time? Editor: So it’s almost as if the way the work is created is itself a statement. Curator: Precisely. This piece, in its very materiality and method, offers a commentary on art, production, and value, reflecting broader changes in society. The material speaks of availability and ease of use, rather than something rarified. Editor: I hadn't thought of that angle at all, that's fascinating. Now, the abstraction makes sense as an expression of breaking away from art conventions. Curator: Exactly, and seeing it in this context changes everything.