[no title] 1968

Curator: The subtle tonal gradations give this piece such a striking, almost dreamlike quality. Editor: This screenprint of an unnamed face, made by Harold Cohen in 1968 and held in the Tate Collections, certainly has a ghostly appearance. It makes me wonder about the technology used to produce it. Curator: Well, look at the dot matrix; this isn’t just about the image; it's about the production. The artist's labor, the consumption of media... Editor: But the composition, the way the light catches the eye... it pulls you in. Curator: And then think about the social context. 1968, a time of upheaval. How does this aesthetic choice reflect the changing status of the image itself in consumer society? Editor: Ultimately, it’s in the eyes. They are so intense, almost unsettling. Curator: Exactly, it's a great example of how art embodies its cultural time. Editor: It is indeed a beautiful image, charged with social and semiotic meaning.