Dimensions: support: 723 x 702 mm
Copyright: © Trevor Bell | CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED, Photo: Tate
Editor: Here we have Trevor Bell's "Extreme Values," a work held at the Tate. It seems to be some kind of ink or paint on paper. The brushstrokes feel so immediate! What's your take on the materiality and the making of this piece? Curator: It's interesting to consider the physical act involved. The artist's hand is so evident. What kind of labor went into this? Was it rapid, gestural? The scale suggests a certain intimacy, a physical engagement between the artist and the support. Editor: So you're saying the process itself is part of the message? Curator: Absolutely. The materials—ink, paper—are humble. The artist makes choices about applying them, how much pressure, how fast. Were they thinking about challenging traditional notions of painting, perhaps? Editor: I never thought about the labor involved in abstract art like this. Thanks! Curator: Looking closely at the process always opens up new avenues for understanding.
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Extreme Values 1959 is an early work on paper by the English painter Trevor Bell. Executed in black ink, it consists of roughly painted lines along with more solidly coloured areas made up of feathery brushstrokes. A ‘u’ shape occupies the upper half of the paper, with three dots between its stems; the curve of the ‘u’ is echoed in a line leading across the bottom of the paper into a solid shape in the bottom left-hand corner. Another, smaller solid rectangle appears towards the upper left-hand corner.
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