Blast to the past: 20's style
The Author of the Book "Fourteen Letters of Christ" in His Home
Medium: Cut-and-pasted gelatin silver prints, cut-and-pasted printed paper, and ink on book pages
Dimensions: 8 1/2 x 5 3/4" (21.6 x 14.6 cm)
In this photomontage, Baader presents a photograph of a domestic space in which various Dada ephemera hangs on the wall at upper left. A figure has been cut out of the center of the photograph to reveal the image of Baader's dummy exhibited at the Berlin Dada Fair in 1920. This work is, in fact, a sophisticated self-portrait of Baader in his persona as the "Oberdada," a parody of a high-ranking military figure (ex.Oberleutnant) of the Dada "troupes." The figure cut out of the upper photograph can be identified as Baader himself, as his reflection is visible in the mirror at the right edge of the cutout.
Man in Top Hat
Medium: Painted bronze
Dimensions: 26 x 14 3/4 x 13 1/4" (66 x 37.6 x 33.4 cm)
Untitled (fec.)
Medium: Cut-and-pasted printed paper and pencil on paper on board
Dimensions: 9 7/8 x 7 1/4" (25.1 x 18.2 cm)
Pippin House, East Liverpool, Ohio
Medium: Watercolor and gouache on paper
Dimensions: 26 x 19 3/8" (66 x 49.2 cm)
Burchfield worked predominantly in watercolor. He felt that this was a medium that was preferable to oil paint because it was fast and easier to work with.
The way that these four pieces relate to each other is that they are from the same time period, the 1920's. They all depict how it was during those times, the way people dressed and just basically how everything looked. They were all made by different artists, but these artists knew what they wanted to represent in their artwork. Each artist used their own imagination and their own knowledge on how to show what the 20's was like.
The audience for my exhibition isn't aimed at a particular group, but I guess it'll mainly attract people who lived during those times attention and the attention of people at this day and age who want to know more about the culture back then.
I like the direction you are going. I think it's perfectly appropriate to choose a particular time period to try to evoke in an exhibition. I think your narrative could use a bit more reflection, however. For instance, when you look at these works as depictions of what life looked like in the 1920's, what do they suggest about the sensibilities of the times? What moods or qualities do they evoke that would be valuable for younger audiences who would be looking into a window into another age?
ReplyDeleteAlso, where were these made? Is this a view of the 1920's in Europe? This was the rich cultural period in between World War I and World War 2. How do you think this brief period of peace might be viewed through the lens of our 21st century hindsight?
Just things to think about...
(A-)