Summonsfromthemilk 1991

Stanley Boxer made this textured abstract painting, Summonsfromthemilk, in the United States. In Boxer’s time, institutions such as museums and galleries played a crucial role in shaping the reception of art. Abstract art was often seen as challenging traditional norms, and Boxer's work fits into this context. Looking at the painting, we can see a layering of materials, building up a textured surface that invites tactile exploration. The colours evoke a sense of organic matter, like earth and foliage, but disrupted. Abstract expressionism in the US critiqued the conservative social structures of the time, particularly in the context of the Cold War. Boxer's work, while not explicitly political, engages in the same kind of experimentation. To fully appreciate an artwork such as this, a historian might research the period in which it was made, look at critical reactions to Boxer's work, and examine the role of galleries in promoting abstract art.