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Mother’s Kisses: detail of hand on head

Dotty Attie; Solo Press Inc.

Artwork Details

Mother’s Kisses: detail of hand on head
1982
Dotty Attie; Solo Press Inc.
lithograph with watercolor on BFK cream wove paper
6 in x 6 in (15.24 cm x 15.24 cm);7 1/4 in x 7 1/4 in x 3/4 in (18.4 cm x 18.4 cm x 1.9 cm);3 1/2 in x 3 1/2 in (8.9 cm x 8.9 cm)
Museum Purchase
1993/1.115.6

Description

For more than twenty years Dotty Attie has adapted scenes from famous Old Master paintings, calling attention both to her sources and her reinterpretations. This lithograph culls the figures of Venus and Cupid from Bronzino's mid-16th century painting "The Exposure of Luxury." To this portrayal of incest she juxtaposes a series of details. These present fragments of their bodies, which fetishizes those anatomical parts. These details are interspersed with texts that comment ironically on this perverted mother-child relationship.

Subject Matter:

This is a detail of Venus' head and Cupid's hand from Bronzino's mid-16th century painting "An Allegory with Venus and Cupid," also known as "Venus, Cupid, Folly, and Time" which have been sampled by Dottie Attie in the first image in this portfolio. By pulling Venus and Cupid from the original painting and adding details and text via the other pages from the portfolio such as this, Attie eliminates mythical references and symbols of Renaissance refinement and focuses in on the erotic undertones of the work. 

Physical Description:

In this detail of a head we see a hand reach around it, cradling it from behind. The only visible features of the head are an ear and curly, dark hair that is adorned with pearls and clips.

Usage Rights:

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