Studio 1958

Editor: So here we have Craig Kauffman's "Studio" from 1958, crafted with acrylic paint, if I'm not mistaken? It's incredibly...unsettling, yet energetic, the way the colours clash but somehow pull together. What's your interpretation? Curator: Unsettling is spot on, isn't it? I see a visual record of artistic struggle—the bravado of large swathes of white impasto clashing with defined blocks of color feels intensely personal, as if we are witnessing Kauffman wrestle with his demons, maybe the expectations, boundaries and rules associated to being a 'great' artist. It feels almost unfinished in its rawness, yet profoundly complete in its emotional impact. Does that resonate with you at all? Editor: Absolutely. I can see what you mean; a sort of push and pull on the canvas that's so apparent when considering what being a modernist was at this time. Why this style? Curator: Perhaps this chaotic aesthetic, born of Abstract Expressionism, was his form of rebellion against the perceived rigidness of mid-century America? Look at how confidently he wields line against colour—he is actively re-writing definitions of form and order for us to consider. Do you see any narrative thread within the colour? Editor: It's funny, I thought there would be but thinking about it perhaps he really is showing us his 'studio', with what it entails, the emotional rawness and not trying to build some sense of objective reasoning through the work, because how would he do that, when making art? Curator: Beautifully put! Sometimes art speaks loudest when it simply admits its own chaos, huh? An unfinished revolution, but all revolutions are right? Editor: I guess they are! So much for neat conclusions today.