 The Morgue (Homicide), 1992 Cibachrome, silicone, plexiglas, wood frame, 49 1/2 x 60 in / 125.7 x 152.4 cm Andres Serrano Baroque 17th Century Baroque has been described as an art style that combines direct truth to appearance, with overwrought expression and gesture, to create a balanced and harmonious composition. Although usually applied to a historical period, in her 1999 book, "Quoting Caravaggio", Mieke Bal has suggested that the term "baroque", can be described more generally in art as identifying a set of formal characteristics and emotional aspirations which transgress the limits of the past. Including works from the past twenty years, this exhibition is a consideration of Serrano's photography as contemporary baroque. The works in this exhibition recall 17th Century baroque art, encompassing themes of violence and sacrifice, mortality and religion. Mieke Bal has suggested that a baroque visual composition and sensibility infuses Andres Serrano's art; The photographs included here demonstrate Serrano's interest in colour, balance, lighting and the depiction of high drama. Looking at Serrano's work through the baroque, it is clear that his imagery bears the traces of past visual languages and motifs. Like many baroque painters from the 17th Century, Serrano's art is intensely physical. Achieving a hyper-realistic quality through the clarity of his images, the body has an overwhelming presence in his photography. It is possible to see individual eyelashes, goosebumps, and raw flesh. Challenging the viewer's expectation of how death is depicted, Serrano engineers not only an emotional but also a physical response to the image. Touch and texture are emphasised by the use of pristine and luxurious materials and draperies. Juxtaposing textures and surfaces, combining mortal flesh with clean fabric, Serrano captures the violence suffered by the body in sensuous and beautiful terms. In works such as "The Morgue (Homicide)", 1992, the death of this murder victim is concealed by the use of a deep red velvet shroud covering the face. The tactile quality of the fabric contrasts with the viewer's withdrawal from the body. The whiteness of the sheet engulfing the picture plane in "The Morgue (Child Abuse)", 1992, is used to emphasise the angelic face of the child so horrifically killed. The bright white shroud accentuates shock of the image. In his use of chiaroscuro, the juxtaposition of strong colours, the contrast of mass and void, Serrano gives his work a painterly quality. Insisting upon the substances, colours and textures of his subject matter, Serrano creates a scenario in which the subject and spectator are united within a dramatic but contemplative moment. Spaces for reflection and meditation are literally depicted in Serrano's church interiors, while images depicting religious statuary immersed in body fluids celebrate the spiritual, and expand upon the high religiosity found in much baroque painting and sculpture. In the late 1980s these emersion works were at the centre of vigorous debate regarding religious blasphemy, but they cannot be dismissed as sacrilegious. Rooted within a baroque sensibility of scandal and tradition, Andres Serrano has created a body of work that is rich in emotional content and haunting beauty. Exhibition: 4 April - 6 May 2006 Gallery hours: Mon-Fri 10 am - 5.30 pm, Sat 11 am - 4 pm Gimpel Fils 30 Davies Street GB-London, W1K 4NB Telephone +44 20 7493 2488 Fax +44 20 7629 5732 Email info@gimpelfils.com www.gimpelfils.com |
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