Mini exercise – Museum visit: Sophie Calle’s exhibition

 

This artwork consists of a painting hung on a wall next to a text explaining its content. In the center of the painting, a ghost or an object placed under a white sheet stands as the subject. Behind, are depicted framed paintings of different types of birds, hung on a turquoise wall.

The lighting of the painting is variable; there’s a smooth transition from light to dark (from the right side to the left side of the painting). Furthermore, most of the colors are dark, with the only exception of red and white.

Calle made this artwork in France. The year of creation however remains unknown. Her purpose is to denounce the hunting of bears and their extinction.

What I really like about this artwork is the unexpected meaning residing behind its content: when we look at the picture, what we see is a ghost standing in the middle of a room. When we start reading the text, we think that it’s her lost teddy bear covered with a white sheet. As we continue reading, we’re surprised by the fact that what is depicted in this painting is the ghost of the many killed bears. The dark colors of the painting represents the mourning and the sadness of Calle, while the red color represents the daily violence taking place.

The strength of the work is the huge coherence between the text and the painting. We can consider  that the text is a book and the painting is its cover. We’re constantly reminded of the famous quote ” Don’t judge a book by its cover”, which corresponds particularly to what is happening in this artwork. Hence, it is a powerful strategy for raising awareness about a daily issue. Not to mention, the text is very personal and therefore very persuasive. However, the text might be too long, which discourages the readers to read the whole writing, and therefore, have a clear understanding of the meaning of the art piece.

 

Leave a reply

Skip to toolbar