Resonances 1961

Curator: Up next we have "Resonances," a print by Jean Dubuffet dating back to 1961. Editor: Immediately, I’m struck by this overwhelming texture; it’s a monochromatic field of browns and blacks, almost resembling distressed metal or weathered wood. Curator: And that tactility is really key. Dubuffet was very interested in non-traditional artistic materials. His engagement with Arte Informel challenged the formal values espoused in many fine art spaces at that time. I wonder, does it also prompt you to consider institutional hierarchies or push against artistic boundaries? Editor: Certainly. It evokes the grit and perceived crudeness he was interested in exploring, reflecting a post-war aesthetic shift and an exhaustion from the dominant art narratives. It’s interesting to consider this within a museum setting; a traditionally exclusive domain. What do you find most interesting in the process behind this work? Curator: I think it comes down to how he embraced printing and other such "lower" forms, using them for abstraction. The way the ink sits on the paper, the layering and scraping back, that all speaks to his material exploration, something anyone involved in printmaking knows intimately. You think it speaks to shifts in art perceptions? Editor: Absolutely, this image, presented publicly, signals the expansion of what is considered aesthetically and intellectually valuable, as well as how art itself becomes an arena for negotiating societal changes. The socio-political narrative emerges even through an abstract form such as this. Curator: Very interesting angle! Considering his process makes you reconsider not only its materials but its cultural function as well. It serves as a looking glass for its period and allows us to appreciate it, with its rich layers of texture and history, even today. Editor: Agreed! Thanks to that, I can almost hear it resonating even now.