Vigilantes 1934

Editor: This print, "Vigilantes" by Will Barnet from 1934, is striking. It's got this chaotic energy with figures wrestling amid what looks like rubble. The monochrome really adds to the somber mood. What's your take on it? Curator: Well, from a materialist perspective, I'm drawn to consider how this print functions as a readily reproducible object, meant for widespread consumption. In 1934, the US was grappling with economic depression and social unrest, which in turn spurred artistic production. Do you think the title impacts our reading of its depiction? Editor: Absolutely, "Vigilantes" implies a specific context. Were vigilante groups common then? The aggression definitely comes across. I mean, look at the one guy brandishing something... almost like a baton. Curator: Exactly! And considering Barnet's social realism style, he likely wanted to capture a moment of raw societal tension, but his decision to do so through the medium of print, challenges art's conventional associations with fine art or luxury. Consider the physical process. What is revealed to us about the labour required to produce this piece? Editor: That's true, this artwork isn’t necessarily something you could hoard or accumulate, and so perhaps would act as a form of mobilization in and of itself. But still I feel that there is something beyond just the context that speaks so well from it; it has captured raw emotions perfectly. Curator: Indeed, and that emotionality, mass-produced and widely circulated, would function within a much larger ideological network. We are also left to question if it acts as condemnation or celebration? The ambiguity is revealing. Editor: That gives me a lot to think about, seeing the piece through that lens. It makes the image even more unsettling but also so relevant to what I'm currently witnessing. I really appreciate your perspective. Curator: It works both ways! Thinking through the socio-economic life of an artwork is a powerful way of unlocking different meanings!