Red Detachment
© William Wegman
Playing on the strangely human expressions of Weimaraner dogs, Wegman often employs his canine subjects to reveal a sense of coexisting deadpan humor and seriousness that is sometimes difficult to capture in humans. In this large Polaroid print—a process that uses a room-sized camera to produce a single, direct-contact print—Wegman anthropomorphizes the dog by placing a veil of red over half its profile, further detaching the dignified creature who has already turned its gaze away. Though many of his iconic images feature the Weimaraners dressed as characters or performing more obviously humanlike actions, Wegman presents a Renaissance-like nobility here while directly referencing the conceptual and minimalist art movements that have influenced the artist since the beginning of his career.
Exhibition Title: Asheville Art Museum: An Introduction to the Collection
Label Date: 2021
Type: Object Entry
Written by: Hilary Schroeder
Showing 32 of 49 |