Mantegna
Artist: William Kentridge (South African, born 1955)
Publisher: David Krut Projects (Johannesburg, South Africa)
Date: 2016
Dimensions:
78 × 78 in. (198.1 × 198.1 cm)
Medium: Woodcut
Classification: Prints
Credit Line: Purchased with funds from the Libbey Endowment, Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey, Gift of Dr. Arthur F. Bissell, and Gift of Joseph Brummer, by exchange
Object number: 2018.8A-L
Label Text:William Kentridge's Mantegna utilizes the woodcut medium and its graphic expressive power to address the traumatic effects of war. The first of seven large-scale images from his series Triumphs and Laments, this depiction of three Roman soldiers parading spoils of war is drawn directly from Renaissance artist Andrea Mantegna's painting Triumphs of Caesar (1484–92). Kentridge re-imagines Mantegna's high-spirited, jostling soldiers bearing war plunder in a victory parade as a march of forlorn legionnaires. Along with objects and symbols more expected for the ancient world (an olive leaf crown, a helmet), the downtrodden army transports a modern sewing machine, perhaps a poignant reminder of war’s impact on civilians and successive generations of victims.
Procession is a constant motif throughout Kentridge's films, drawings, printmaking, theater, and performance, introduced to explore contemporary social issues, including totalitarianism, colonialism, and racism. These processions mark tragedy and oppression, as well as perseverance and survival. Kentridge, who is white, came of age during the state-sponsored racial segregation of South Africa’s Apartheid era, and his art has been deeply influenced by this injustice, its dissolution, and its ongoing repercussions.
Procession is a constant motif throughout Kentridge's films, drawings, printmaking, theater, and performance, introduced to explore contemporary social issues, including totalitarianism, colonialism, and racism. These processions mark tragedy and oppression, as well as perseverance and survival. Kentridge, who is white, came of age during the state-sponsored racial segregation of South Africa’s Apartheid era, and his art has been deeply influenced by this injustice, its dissolution, and its ongoing repercussions.
Description10 printed sheets plus 10 torn sheets and 36 pins for placement
On view