New Exhibit Perfectly Strange to Debut at Worcester Art Museum
Thursday, September 04, 2014
Herbert Bayer, American, born Austria, 1900-1985, Lonely Metropolitan, 1932, printed 1969, Gelatin silver print, Charlotte E.W. Buffington Fund, 1994.259
Running through January 4, Perfectly Strange will include work from artists such as Francisco Goya, Pablo Picasso, Manuel Álvarez Bravo, John O’Reilly, and Diane Arbus.
“This exhibitions provides viewers with an opportunity to experience the feelings evoked by strangeness through the lens of the artist, granting insight into a novel perspective on both everyday life and the life of the imagination,” said Nancy Burns, Assistant Curator of Prints, Drawings, and Photographs at WAM. “These unusual subjects and distorted scenes can be jarring, but deserve closer contemplation as important works that challenge the classical ideal of beauty and conjure feelings of discomfort.”
The exhibit is organized around four themes.
The World of the Real
-Diane Arbus, Identical Twins, Roselle, N.J., 1967: This celebrated work from WAM’s collection depicts two identical twin girls standing side by side in matching outfits. Through her isolation of the subjects, and her ability to capture their blank expressions, Arbus questions the idea of normalcy and identity.
-Manuel Álvarez Bravo, Caballo de Madera (Wooden Horse), 1928 – Considered Mexico’s foremost proponent of Latin American Modernist photography, Bravo isolates occurrences from Mexican life to create unexpected images that are both foreboding and serene. This photograph depicts a rocking horse, a popular child’s toy that becomes unnerving as it peeks behind two curtains.
The World of the Circus, Masks and Magic
-Alexandr Rodchenko, Durov with a Cock¸1940: Rodchenko did a series of photographs featuring Vladimir Durov, a famed Soviet-era circus performer renowned for his animal training. In this photograph, Rodchenko emphasizes Durov’s intense eye contact with the rooster to highlight the absurdity of the situation while elevating Durov’s status as a performer.
-Pablo Picasso, Head of a Clown, 1962: This work conveys both the childlike nature of clowns, and the simultaneously unnerving simplicity of their feigned innocence. Picasso revisited the subject of clowns and street performers throughout his career, beginning with the Saltimbanques and Harlequins during his Rose period.
The World of the Frightening and Grotesque
-Francisco Goya, Mucho Hay Que Chupar (There is Plenty to Suck), 1799: This etching is from Goya’s Los Caprichos series, a set of 80 prints that offer hyperbolic social commentary when viewed together in an album. This series reflects Goya’s influence on surrealism and symbolists like Odilon Redon, in his representation of mythical creatures and outlandish scenes.
-Joel-Peter Witkin, Un Santo Oscuro, Los Angeles 1987: Witkin incorporates both art historical references and contemporary imagery into his photographs. Witkin gives this photograph texture by scraping the negative, affecting an aged or weathered appearance.
The World of the Imagination and Dreams
-Herbert Bayer, Lonely Metropolitan, 1932: Trained in the renowned Bauhaus school in Germany, Bayer was a graphic designer before he immigrated to New York in 1938. Heavily influenced by Surrealism, he was one of the first artists to explore photomontage.
-Odilon Redon, Perversité, 1891: Like his predecessor Francisco Goya, Redon is admired for his ability to vividly conjure fantastic, phantasmagoric, and foreboding characters. This etching depicts a sculpture bust that is turning its head to look back at the viewer confrontationally. Its menacing expression paired with the dark backdrop suggests a frightening atmosphere.
Artist Discussion
The Artists of Perfectly Strange
Thursday, September 18, 5:30pm
In-gallery introduction by and discussion with Perfectly Strange Curator, Nancy Burns. Conversation with exhibition artists Tad Beck, Seth Rubin, and Marguerite White. Free with Museum admission.
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