Grande traite solitaire (The Large Solitary Milking) 1943

Editor: This is "Grande traite solitaire" or "The Large Solitary Milking" by Jean Dubuffet, created in 1943 using mixed media and oil paint. It's certainly a unique piece! The figure and cow are so abstracted. What is your perspective on this work? Curator: The crude handling of the materials is fascinating. Consider the context: 1943, during the war. Dubuffet was interested in challenging established artistic norms, favoring raw expression over academic polish. He’s using his materials to critique not just artistic tradition, but also perhaps the social conditions that led to such a devastating war. What does the painting's rough texture evoke for you? Editor: I guess I see how the almost childlike application of paint, the earthiness of the colours, speaks to this return to something basic and unrefined, a rejection of sophistication. Curator: Exactly! And consider the solitary act depicted. Milking a cow isn't inherently glamorous. Dubuffet is drawing our attention to labor, to the material processes that sustain us. Notice how the figure and animal almost merge into one form. Does that give you any thoughts? Editor: I see it now! It is about our reliance on, and connection with the natural world and the simple things in life. Is it then the painting an act of resistance through its form and subject? Curator: Precisely! It’s a radical proposition: to find value, even beauty, in the everyday, in the materials at hand. This "Art Brut," as Dubuffet called it, isn't just a style, but a statement about value and consumption. Editor: That's given me so much to think about in terms of how artists can make powerful statements with basic materials. Thanks for highlighting the meaning behind the method! Curator: And thank you for noticing the material qualities and linking them to the work's greater context. That's precisely how we unlock a deeper understanding of art.