Tear

Artist Dorothy Cross (Irish, born 1956)

Date2009

MediumIntaglio

ClassificationPrints

Credit LineGift of Robinson Locke, Gift of D.C. Sturges, Gift of H.M. Dunbar, Gift of Donald F. Witherstine, Gift of Mrs. Childe Hassam, and Gift of the Estate of Mrs. S.C. Walbridge, by exchange

Object number

2017.10A-F

Not on View

Label TextOften combining found objects with photographic images, Dorothy Cross investigates the relationship between humans and nature. In this portfolio of five prints, enlarged details from an engraved Bible page Cross found in her family home are paired with color photographs of a restless ocean. The source illustration, from the Old Testament, depicts Naomi bidding farewell to Ruth, her daughter-in-law, as she plans to return to her homeland. By connecting carefully-cropped portions of this intimate, emotional scene with photographs of waves from the sea near her home in Galway, Ireland, Cross creates the potential for new narratives to emerge. As Cross explains, “photography meets engraving and ocean meets sections of the body. Narrative and nature are momentarily stilled.” The series of poetic images trigger sensory associations and various modes of perception: sight, touch, smell, and hearing. The startling juxtaposition of collaged elements composed from new and old technology results in a set of haunting but alluring compositions.