Woman Tree c. 1960s

Editor: Elsie Driggs's "Woman Tree," a watercolor from the 1960s. I am immediately drawn to the geometric shapes of color and how they intersect with the organic form of what appears to be a woman or a tree. How do you read the materiality of this piece in light of the artistic landscape of its time? Curator: Looking at the production of “Woman Tree” through a materialist lens allows us to explore the significance of Driggs's choice of watercolor, a medium often associated with sketching or studies rather than finished, monumental works. Why embrace the ephemeral, seemingly ‘lesser’ material, watercolor? Editor: That’s interesting, I hadn’t thought about that. Was watercolor common among the Abstract Expressionists? Curator: Exactly. Abstract Expressionism, in its heroic narratives, largely embraced oil paint, with its capacity for layering and grand scale. Driggs’s use of watercolor, with its fluidity and translucence, provides a counterpoint. Consider the implications: is she resisting the macho bravado associated with some of her contemporaries by working on paper and the supposed lightness of watercolor? Editor: So, in a way, the medium itself becomes a statement. The materials challenge the prevailing ideas around what “serious” art should be made of and who it is made by. Curator: Precisely! The very process and materials Driggs employs embody a quiet revolution against the art world’s established hierarchies. Also, what do you observe of her process regarding abstraction in the context of figuration? Editor: I guess Driggs is really questioning what carries value or makes it recognizable. It definitely gives me more to consider about abstraction. Thanks! Curator: Likewise, viewing the choices around process and materials of 'Woman Tree' has encouraged me to reconsider art’s implicit politics of production.