Untitled 1965

Curator: What immediately strikes me is the texture, that incredible impasto technique. It feels like I could almost reach out and touch the physicality of the paint itself. Editor: Exactly. We're looking at an "Untitled" piece by Olga Albizu from 1965. Albizu was a Puerto Rican artist associated with Abstract Expressionism, and this work showcases her bold use of color and impasto application of acrylic paint on canvas. The layers and buildup are quite something. Curator: It does have an aquatic feel, doesn't it? All these blues… like an abstracted seascape, even though it's a non-objective composition. Blue, especially, is tied to deep symbolic meaning: spirituality, melancholy, even the vastness of the subconscious. Do you sense that too? Editor: I’m more drawn to how the application method affects the perceived value of the art object. Mass produced acrylics from the 1960s, applied in such thick, individualized strokes. There’s a tension between standardized material and deeply personal, tactile engagement. Curator: Fascinating point. The darker, almost bruised tones mixed in give it an edge though; it is not completely tranquil; there's depth and complexity in her color choices beyond just the palette itself. Perhaps the unconscious is turbulent? Editor: Or perhaps that's where our own interpretations come into play? Either way, it makes me wonder how access to materials shaped Albizu's trajectory. As an artist of color working outside of the New York mainstream, access to gallery representation or consistent supplies of certain mediums may have presented its own limitations to production? Curator: It speaks to the dynamism, regardless. Abstract expressionism opened doors for women artists and artists of color. Visual symbols aren’t only about aesthetics or taste, they are connected to what it represents historically as well. Editor: Precisely. It also makes us question the notion of what high and low art forms are? The techniques used also represent her story too. The history is rich within these materials. Curator: Thinking of "Untitled," by Olga Albizu… I will contemplate how art carries coded language from those within marginalized experiences or outside normative ones! Editor: I'm left to ponder about the labor and consumption embedded in abstract expressionist pieces; the individual action alongside factory production of art materials themselves, and how these may change with digital art production today!