THE COLLECTION
Blossom
Polly Apfelbaum (American, born 1955)
2000. Synthetic velvet and fabric dye, approximately 18' (548.6 cm) in diameter. Gift of Donald L. Bryant, Jr., Barbara Foshay, Ricki Conway, Susan Jacoby, Jo Carole Lauder, Steven M. Bernstein, and Brook Berlind. © 2010 Polly Apfelbaum
1141.2001
Comic Abstraction: Image-Breaking, Image-Making
2007
This large, circular, floor–hugging work, inspired by the popular animated cartoon The Powerpuff Girls, is part of a group Apfelbaum calls "fallen paintings" in reference to their irreverent position on the ground. Works in the Powerpuff series—like the cartoons on which they are based—are highly controlled and painstakingly put together while still articulating the delirious thrill of topsy–turvydom. This piece is an abstract portrait of Blossom, the invincible red–haired and pink–eyed leader of the Powerpuff trio, whose mission is to save the world from evil before bedtime. Apfelbaum espouses superhero comic characters as legitimate catalysts for change. Discussing the rise of girl power, the artist notes, "I liked the idea of a strong somewhat promiscuous female role model, the slightly out-of-control quality of these cartoon characters."
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