Whispers 

Cathrine Edlinger-Kunze's painting "Whispers," from the late 20th century, is primarily oil on canvas. The broad brushstrokes are visible, evidence of the artist’s active hand. But the artist also uses thinner paint to create a sense of transparency, and looser areas of abstraction, so that the composition seems caught between figuration and pure paint. The drips, especially, reveal the nature of the oil paint itself – its viscosity, its tendency to flow. What’s really interesting is the way Edlinger-Kunze sets up a tension between different registers of skill. On the one hand, we have the confident application of pigment, and on the other, an awareness of the material properties of oil paint. It's a sophisticated negotiation that asks us to look beyond the image and appreciate the artist's process. Understanding the material, making, and social context allows us to appreciate the painting's full depth and challenges traditional notions of fine art versus craft.