Uprising 2013

Editor: We're looking at Rose Freymuth-Frazier’s “Uprising” from 2013, an oil painting. It's quite a striking image! The contrast of the figure with the sheep and the plane makes for an odd, almost dreamlike, tableau. How would you interpret the different elements within this piece? Curator: Let's start with the most obvious: oil paint. The artist isn't merely depicting something, they are *making* something, crafting a physical object loaded with historical weight. Oil paint links this work back to centuries of labor, extraction of pigments, the industry of art. Think about who had access to these materials, and what that signifies. And how does that interplay with what she represents? Editor: Right, the materials themselves become part of the message. But how does the imagery fit in? The goggles, the ammunition belt, and the drone juxtaposed with the pastoral scene. Curator: The drone’s presence is particularly jarring. Consider the materiality of warfare – the resources, the manufacturing, the political economy behind it. Freymuth-Frazier positions this against the traditional landscape and a classically posed nude. Is she pointing to the consumption inherent in both the art world and modern warfare? Editor: So, you’re suggesting it's a commentary on how industries, even seemingly disparate ones, are intertwined with power and resources? Curator: Exactly. It invites us to consider the unseen networks that make these objects and images possible, the literal costs, labor, and the less-literal costs on society and the natural world. Editor: I hadn't considered it in that way before – the materiality creating layers of meaning beyond just the visual. Curator: Seeing the painting as a manufactured object – and recognizing all that entails – reveals its potential to be a tool for social commentary. Editor: That's definitely given me a new way to appreciate not just this piece, but art in general. Thanks for your insight!