Robert Hodgins
17 Mar - 14 Apr 2007
ROBERT HODGINS
The Goodman Gallery presents a solo exhibition of new work by Robert Hodgins opening on Saturday 17th March 2007.
The body of work that Hodgins has created for this exhibition moves away from his typical humorous depiction of the human condition, to an exploration of the darker side of humanity, drawing inspiration from a combination of ancient history such as the 'The Battle of Cascina' and stories of giants, to contemporary wars, torture, and soldiers.
Working with the media of oil on canvas and monoprinting, Hodgins has based many of these works on the Latin legends of the 'Battle of Cascina'. It was on 28 July 1368 during the Battle of Cascina that the Florentines defeated a Pisan force, taking some of them by surprise while they bathed in the Arno. The engagement is best known as the subject of a fresco (1504 – 06) commissioned for the Palazzo Vecchio from Michelangelo. Hodgins’ paintings of these abruptly alerted bathers depict the humiliation to which these soldiers have been reduced, reflecting on the naked vulnerability of the human condition. In these works Hodgins plays with the idea that public knowledge equals humiliation: it is sometimes better that the public does not know all the secrets of a wounded hero, but rather that heroes are held up with their entire amour. Situating these ancient myths in a modern context, Hodgins has used his work to reflect on the cyclic nature of war and terror. The exposure of today’s war heroes reveals them as just as faintly ridiculous as yesterday’s ancient heroes. In this body of work Hodgins moves between this depiction of the humiliation of humanity and a more traditional use of portraiture, using a series of ‘Giants’ to explore the way in which portraiture is used to turn people into icons. Although these ‘Giants’ that are depicted posing in the nude form a contrast to Hodgins figures that have been caught bathing in the nude, they also contain a sense of vulnerability in the way that they have been shunned and isolated from society.
These artworks, although set in a modern context, have many historical references. Reflecting on the cyclic nature of history, Hodgins’ paintings give the viewer a glimpse of the impersonality and horror of contemporary wars, torture, political secrets, and the vulnerability to which soldiers and heroes are exposed.
The exhibition will run at The Goodman Gallery from 17 March through to 14 April 2007.
The Goodman Gallery presents a solo exhibition of new work by Robert Hodgins opening on Saturday 17th March 2007.
The body of work that Hodgins has created for this exhibition moves away from his typical humorous depiction of the human condition, to an exploration of the darker side of humanity, drawing inspiration from a combination of ancient history such as the 'The Battle of Cascina' and stories of giants, to contemporary wars, torture, and soldiers.
Working with the media of oil on canvas and monoprinting, Hodgins has based many of these works on the Latin legends of the 'Battle of Cascina'. It was on 28 July 1368 during the Battle of Cascina that the Florentines defeated a Pisan force, taking some of them by surprise while they bathed in the Arno. The engagement is best known as the subject of a fresco (1504 – 06) commissioned for the Palazzo Vecchio from Michelangelo. Hodgins’ paintings of these abruptly alerted bathers depict the humiliation to which these soldiers have been reduced, reflecting on the naked vulnerability of the human condition. In these works Hodgins plays with the idea that public knowledge equals humiliation: it is sometimes better that the public does not know all the secrets of a wounded hero, but rather that heroes are held up with their entire amour. Situating these ancient myths in a modern context, Hodgins has used his work to reflect on the cyclic nature of war and terror. The exposure of today’s war heroes reveals them as just as faintly ridiculous as yesterday’s ancient heroes. In this body of work Hodgins moves between this depiction of the humiliation of humanity and a more traditional use of portraiture, using a series of ‘Giants’ to explore the way in which portraiture is used to turn people into icons. Although these ‘Giants’ that are depicted posing in the nude form a contrast to Hodgins figures that have been caught bathing in the nude, they also contain a sense of vulnerability in the way that they have been shunned and isolated from society.
These artworks, although set in a modern context, have many historical references. Reflecting on the cyclic nature of history, Hodgins’ paintings give the viewer a glimpse of the impersonality and horror of contemporary wars, torture, political secrets, and the vulnerability to which soldiers and heroes are exposed.
The exhibition will run at The Goodman Gallery from 17 March through to 14 April 2007.