Art in Words: Prints from the 20th Century to Today
In one print, the light from an unseen window falls across a series of affirmational statements. In another, interlocking, repeated letters in Cyrillic text encircle a tricycle wheel. Across the gallery, the top halves of the letters that spell “DUCHAMP” are positioned below a portrait of the Hip Hop artist Ice Cube. Elsewhere, text in eclectic typeface that resembles advertising slogans, as though extracted from magazine pages, is arranged like spokes in a visual splatter. In another, the word “voice” comes together across three colorful vertical panels, its letters—and, perhaps as a result, its sonic connotations—stacked and jumbled. And bold text, irregularly spaced and sized, is set against a blue mottled background and declares that letters are things in themselves and not merely signifiers.
These artworks and others that make prominent use of text are on display at the Ransom Center in Art in Words: Prints from the 20th Century to Today, an exhibition organized by Curator of Art Tracy Bonfitto with assistance from Research Associate Cristina Meisner. [Read more…] about Exploring the Visual Dimensions of Language