The McMaster Museum of Art presents:
VOYAGER
Albrecht DÜrer, William Hogarth, and Patrick Mahon with Stowaways
August 27, 2013 – January 25, 2014
RECEPTION: September 19, 6 – 8 pm
ARTIST’S TALK by PATRICK MAHON: October 8, 12:30– 1:20 pm
This exhibition presents new graphic/wall sculptures by Patrick Mahon, alongside prints he has selected from McMaster’s collection by Albrecht Dürer (1471 – 1528) and William Hogarth (1697 – 1764) as well as objects contributed by contemporary artists, including David Merritt, Sky Glabush, Jamelie Hassan, Colette Urban (1952-2013) and Jeannie Thib.
Mahon examines the critical role of visual art in moral teaching in the West in the past and the complex ways in which many artists engage in the ‘ethical side’ of their work today.
Says Mahon, “As an artist, I am interested in my role as a social critic, and also fascinated at the idea of the artist as a suspicious or foolish figure in culture.” To this end, his selections from McMaster’s collection include 4 woodcuts by Dürer from Sebastian Brant's book Ship of Fools, and 24 engravings by William Hogarth, the most celebrated British engraver of the eighteenth century who was known for his narrative prints offering biting social commentary. Both are reminders of the critical role of visual art in moral teaching in the West prior to the Modern period.
Mahon’s new works made specifically for this exhibition, are “printed stick drawing”/relief sculptures of a shipwreck. The graphic detail on the sticks are drawn with references Hogarth’s prints. The objects to be borrowed from the contemporary artists, to be collectively titled Stowaways, are presented together amidst a handmade black net on a light table.
Patrick Mahon is a London-based artist, writer and teacher/academic; he was Chair of Visual Arts at the University of Western Ontario from 2000 - 2010. His work as a visual artist includes print-based projects that engage with historical and contemporary aspects of printmaking, and involves responding to gallery and museum collections as well as establishing community-based art initiatives, including several regarding the environment. Mahon’s artwork has been exhibited widely, both nationally and internationally.
LIST OF WORKS
Patrick Mahon (Canadian b. 1957)
Shipwreck Study #1, 2013 ink on balsawood
30 x 56 cm
Shipwreck Study #2, 2013 ink on balsawood 27 x 52 cm
Shipwreck Study #3 ink on balsawood 28 x 51 cm
Shipwreck Study #4 ink on balsawood 40 x 67 cm
Shipwreck Study #5 ink on balsawood 38 x 40 cm
Shipwreck Study #6 ink on balsawood 28 x 56 cm
Voyager 1, 2013 ink on pine hardwood 230 x 260 cm
Voyager 2, 2013 ink on pine hardwood 145 x 270 cm
Stowaways #1-13 Ron Benner |
Albrecht Dürer (German 1460-1531)
Of Hasty Tempers, c. 1494
Of Taking Offense at, but Learning From Fools, c. 1494
Mocking of a Good Deed, c. 1494
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William Hogarth (English, 1697-1764)
The Harlot's Progress, Plate 4, 1733-1734
The Harlot's Progress, Plate 5, 1733-1734
The Harlot's Progress, Plate 6, 1733-1734
The Lottery, 1721, possibly reprinted c. 1822
Some of the Principal Inhabitants of ye moon, 1724
The Laughing Audience, 1733; printed 1822 (?)
The Man of Taste, 1822
The Rake's Progress, Plate 1, 1735
The Rake's Progress, Plate 3, 1735
The Rake's Progress, Plate 4, 1735
The Rake's Progress, Plate 6, 1735
Company of Undertakers, 1736
Scholars at a Lecture, 1736
Characters and Caricaturas, 1743
Industry and Idleness, Plate 2: The Industrious 'Prentice Performing the Duty of a Christian, 1747
Industry and Idleness, Plate 5: The Idle 'Prentice turn'd away, and sent to Sea, 1747
Industry and Idleness, Plate 7: The Idle ‘Prentice return’d from Sea and in a Garret with a common Prostitute, 1747
First Stage of Cruelty, 1751
Second Stage of Cruelty, 1751
Cruelty in Perfection, 1751
The Reward of Cruelty, 1751
The Times, Plate 1, 1762
The Times, Plate 2, 1762-1763
All Hogarths: On loan from Dundurn National Historic Site
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