Finnegan's Wake, The Song
Peter Gourfain
"Finnegan's Wake, The Song" shows six scenes presented in irregular, rectangular compartments across the large sheet of paper. It is possible that there is a sequential order in which these vignettes may be read; it is also plausible that a few of the scenes represent events happening at the same time. Gourfain is known to depict simultaneous narratives in other works and is attracted to language - particularly the polyphony of overlapping conversation. In this sense the pictorial arrangement of the scenes not only relate to sound, narrative, text, and dialogue, they form a visual analogy to the stunning and complex use of language in James Joyce's "Finnegan's Wake (1922-23), the book that inspired this print.
Artist
Date of Birth
(b. 1934)
Date
1990
Medium
Linocut on Japanese paper; artist's proof
Dimensions
39 x 52 3/4 in. (99.06 x 133.985 cm.)
Accession #
2006.8
Credit Line
John Lambert Fund
Copyright
© artist or artist's estate
Category
Subject
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