Oil on canvasexpand_more
Gift of Brian Pietsch and John Walshexpand_more 2012.111
At the time Jane Hammond made this painting, she was basing her work on a restricted group of 276 found images that she used over and over again in different combinations. According to Hammond, she wanted her art to be as complicated and intricate as human lives can be. The canvas exemplifies her interest in using recognizable images in an unrecognizable manner, as well as in working with the jumble of information that we sort through daily.
In Hammond's own words, the painting is "a fiction that's woven of facts..." Based on a complex conceptual system, the work is a wonderful mix of intention and randomness. The numbers in the title represent each single element that she used from the group of 276 found images.
The painting also contains verbal cluess and miscues. By nature, viewers tend to search the painting for connections between the images themselves, as well as between the text and the images. What does a man wearing a mask, an image of the Virgin Mary, a finger puppet, and an igloo have to do with one another' Does the text, "A Prudent Man Shuns Hyenas," provide use with an important clue or is it a random selection of words' The conscious mind has a tendency to reach into the unconscious and try to make sense of irrational thoughts and images. In the process, it starts to make connections - real or imaginary - between the past and present, the personal and universal, the subjective self and the objective world.
This record has been reviewed by our curatorial staff but may be incomplete. These records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.
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