On View
Not on viewObject number1989/90.46
Fanfare
Artist
Carol Wax
(American, 1953-)
Date1984
Mediummezzotint
Dimensionsimage: 15 5/8 × 10 3/4 in. (39.7 × 27.3 cm)
sheet: 22 1/4 × 16 in. (56.5 × 40.6 cm)
mat: 24 × 20 in. (61 × 50.8 cm)
sheet: 22 1/4 × 16 in. (56.5 × 40.6 cm)
mat: 24 × 20 in. (61 × 50.8 cm)
Credit LinePermanent Collection Fund
Exhibition History"Still Lifes from the Permanent Collection," KIA Long Gallery (Oct. 2002).
Round and Round, Ethel Denton Groos Gallery, November 4, 2017 - March 4, 2018
"Surrealish: The Absurd and Unexpected," KIA Galleries 2 & 5 (June 4 - September 11, 2022)Label TextMy images of commonplace objects reflect my personal experience of the ordinary as extraordinary. Most people rarely think about the "stuff" in our lives but, to me, even the most ordinary items seem magical. Sometimes I stage elaborate dioramas, suggesting surreal narratives that consider the humor and menace inherent in our possessions and how they manifest our personal mythologies.
Outdated machines can become life-like, galloping creatures at the surrealist hand of Carol Wax. Even this more subdued Westinghouse fan exudes character, lit as if by footlights on a shallow stage. What attitude is projected by the tangled, enlarged shadow? How does it help us imagine the story of this figure—an aging appliance alone on stage…or on a shelf?
Wax trained to become a classical musician, but fell in love with printmaking. As an author and teacher, she is recognized as an expert in the history and technique of mezzotint engraving. This form of printmaking
produces velvety shadows and smooth tonal gradations.
