After waiting to see all the exhibits and artwork from class, the one that stood out to me the most was Paul Sietsema’s exhibit at the Marian Goodman Gallery.  His works surrounding currency were very intriguing to me.  In particular, I enjoyed looking and thinking about Carriage Painting (Green Square), 2022.  A ripped and torn two dollar bill overlaid atop a background of randomly spread whites, grays, and greens.  There does not seem to be too much to unpack within the physical art itself, however, it got me thinking about currency and society’s general infatuation with it.

First, when viewing the painting I immediately recognized the two dollar bill.  While the center of the bill is torn out, the edge remains, and the words “Two Dollars” seem to be placed deliberately insight.  The two dollar bill is impractical given modern prices, the one dollar bill, and the five dollar bill, however, it has gained a sort of infamy of its own for this reason.  According to Business Insider, it is the rarest form of currently produced and circulated currency, accounting for less than 0.001% of the total.  As a result, you will rarely see the two dollar bill used in a transaction.  They have become more of a collectible of sorts.  I carry one around in my wallet that I was given by my grandmother, which may account for some of the connection I had to this painting.  If you want to buy a two dollar bill on eBay, you will see that you’ll have to pay a premium, as their value has risen above what they were originally minted at.

In terms of the form of the painting, Paul Sietsema used enamel on oil on linen, which gives the painting a lot of depth and texture.  The foreground with the two dollar bill seems to remove itself from the background, and pop out of the canvas into the space directly towards the viewer.  While it does not extend far off the canvas, it can be comparable to an actual form of currency, thin but with some tangible depth.  The colors of the painting are very realistic and consistent.  The background follows a similar color scheme as the bill, which is interesting considering it was made by a different artist and probably was the main reason that Paul Sietsema chose it.  If you look closely, you can see the wear marks on the light edge of the bill, very realistic and comparable to an actual bill that would have been in circulation for some time.  As was mentioned by the tour guide, his work often gets mistaken for photographs as his attention to small details is so great.

When trying to understand this painting on my own, I developed a few interesting theories and thoughts.  For one, why a two dollar bill?  Well, the two dollar bill may have a connection to the fact that Paul Sietsema had chosen to make his artwork on top of another artist’s painting.  In a way, this painting will have been purchased and sold twice, once by Paul himself, and once from Paul to a new buyer.  After adding his own depiction of currency, Paul will have raised the value of the work tremendously and is now looking to sell it a second time.  It is sort of a play on the fact that by adding a picture of money, he is able to demand more money for the work that is in excess of the currency that he actually painted on it.

Another thing that I would like to talk about is how the painting made me think deeper about currency in general.  As I approach graduation and leave behind a lifetime of being a student, expectations on success drastically change.  While before success was determined by level of comprehension, attention to detail, and the overall mastery of a subject matter, life right after school often seems to be reduced to one simple thing: compensation.

While it may sound shallow, the truth is we live in a capitalistic society, where money rules all.  It dictates what you are allowed to do, where you are allowed to go, the health treatment that you receive, the education you can put your children through, and much more.  As a result, people often use it as a proxy for success.  Obviously, this is a flawed way of thinking as it does not account for happiness or overall contribution to society, but generally, it is accepted as a way to determine how “successful” one is.  Even artists like Paul are impacted by the sale of their art and how much monetary value they can gain.  Art is constantly judged by how much it is able to sell for at auction.  This was very well highlighted in Sarah Thornton’s Seven Days in the Art World.

When society constantly pushes money as the determinant for success, people choose to chase it.  It is constantly on their mind and receiving it, or even images of it, bring a sort of satisfaction.  It is unfortunate that this is the case, but it is the reality of the environment that we live in.  You will see many students, especially at UChicago, chasing the highest paying jobs possible.  Not necessarily because it is what they enjoy doing or how they can best make a positive impact on society, but because for their whole lives they have been competitive and successful, and they are told that to continue to be successful in the real world you have to earn as much as possible.  In this way, I find Paul Sietsema’s obsession with currency relatable and his artwork on it thought provoking and engaging.  It says a lot about America’s obsession with money and how it is often idolized.