ARTISTS
Phantasms
In Parmigianino鈥檚 masterpiece Self Portrait in a Convex Mirror (1523), the artist does not merely picture himself painting his likeness from a mirror, he produces an object that masquerades as a mirror bearing his reflection. In the foreground, Parmigiano鈥檚 hand 鈥� seen creating this very painting 鈥� is colossal, steadying the surrounding room that tilts and curves as it enfolds him. Parmigianino鈥檚 painting insists on the artifice of all art, its reliance on illusion and distortion even in instances where fidelity to reality is the stated ambition and desired effect. As John Ashbery notes in his long poem about the painting, speculation comes from the Latin speculum, meaning mirror: even images that appear real and convincing are in fact phantasms produced by reflected light. Elli Antoniou, 脡lise Peroi, Marie Schumann, and Kristian Touborg can each be seen to respond to Parmigianino鈥檚 legacy, his entwining of sight and doubt, his exploration of the tensions between image and reality.
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In Parmigianino鈥檚 masterpiece Self Portrait in a Convex Mirror (1523), the artist does not merely picture himself painting his likeness from a mirror, he produces an object that masquerades as a mirror bearing his reflection. In the foreground, Parmigiano鈥檚 hand 鈥� seen creating this very painting 鈥� is colossal, steadying the surrounding room that tilts and curves as it enfolds him. Parmigianino鈥檚 painting insists on the artifice of all art, its reliance on illusion and distortion even in instances where fidelity to reality is the stated ambition and desired effect. As John Ashbery notes in his long poem about the painting, speculation comes from the Latin speculum, meaning mirror: even images that appear real and convincing are in fact phantasms produced by reflected light. Elli Antoniou, 脡lise Peroi, Marie Schumann, and Kristian Touborg can each be seen to respond to Parmigianino鈥檚 legacy, his entwining of sight and doubt, his exploration of the tensions between image and reality.
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