Matthew Monahan. Untitled. 2003

Matthew Monahan Untitled 2003

  • Not on view

Monahan used collaged printed papers to assemble this figure at a writing desk. Modeled with charcoal shading, the paper segments have the reflective look of metal, giving the figure the appearance of an ancient warrior or a futuristic automaton. Monahan has displayed a consistent allegiance to figuration in his work but has also noted "how inanimate the figure can be." "There are moments when the face really comes alive and the body seems to twist of its own volition, when the figure comes at you," he has said, "but I seem to go out of my way to ruin it, to push the gaze back inward and paralyze the body as if caught in the rigidity of a trance."

Gallery label from Exquisite Corpses: Drawing and Disfiguration, March 14–July 9, 2012.
Medium
Charcoal on cut-and-pasted printed paper
Dimensions
32 x 25 1/2" (81.3 x 64.8 cm)
Credit
Gift of Martin and Rebecca Eisenberg
Object number
1872.2008
Copyright
© 2021 Matthew Monahan
Department
Drawings and Prints

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