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[blogbiagi-blog]

From the Exhibition: Kerry James Marshal, Mastry

At the Metropolitan Museum Breuer

Artist: Kerry James Marshal (born 1957)

Title: When Frustration Threatens Desire, (1990)

Material: Acrylic and collage on canvas

Size: unknown

Surface Qualities: This painting is mostly smooth other than the collage elements that create difference features/ surface qualities on the paint. 

Color: yellow, blue, gray, black, red, green, white

Subject: A man stands in the middle of a stage while a levitating woman  is in front of him along with various magical objects scattered on the floor. 

Context/Location: 3rd Floor of exhibit

Intended Audience: This audience is for museum goers, and in this exhibit particularly because it follows his theme of representing culture in a different light. 

Emotional Content or Effect:

There is a sense of curiosity and wonder when first looking at the painting in regards to the woman floating and the meaning behind the objects on the floor and what they have to do with the scene. 

Other Observations:There were several pieces in the show that struck me but this one particularly I found interesting. He depicts the archetypal symbols in witchcraft/voodoo practice in the piece and every time I looked at it I noticed something new. The dice, the ace of spades, black cat, snake as well as the different numbers toward the top of the piece. I also loved how detailed the background is, there are so many different layers to it from the calendar, the eyes etc. This piece makes you wonder what the story is behind the two people centered on stage. The piece seems to tell a story with lots of mystery and magic which was another reason why I was so intrigued by it. 

[blogbiagi-blog]

From the Exhibition: Kerry James Marshal, Mastry

At the Metropolitan Museum Breuer

Artist: Kerry James Marshal (born 1957)

Title: Rythm Mastr 

Material: Inkjet on Plexiglas in light boxes

Size: unknown 

Surface Qualities: Smooth shiny and glowing

Color: black and white

Subject: A street scene with various citizens walking around carrying on different conversations

Context/Location: 3rd Floor of exhibit

Intended Audience: The intended audience would be any museum goers but would connect with those who grew up in a similar setting and connect with the culture and environment he is showing in this piece. 

Emotional Content or Effect: There is a sense of nostalgia for where Marshal is from and intrigue into what each person is talking about while walking on the street. 

Other Observations: I chose this piece to represent the most “remix culture” of the pieces in this show given how different it is from his other pieces as well as the style he portrayed. This comic style is common theme with many artists and he remixed the theme to reflect a different culture than normally portrayed. Instead of a comic superhero theme, he shows a group of people in a setting like where he grew up and the culture he was surrounded by.