Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Romare Bearden, the weird dog/cat and the dove.


Romare Bearden, The Dove, 1964

I'm not sure if this is a weird dog or cat in the corner but alas there it is. Bearden has all kinds of things going on in this Collage from 1964. Some things that jump out are the repeated angles of the hands / cigarettes everywhere and the repetition of shoes. My favorite is the connection made by the weird dog/cat in the corner's ear and the gold triangle of the shoe above it. This is part of the classical triangle that points to the dove. *bonus- see how many "dove-shaped-things" you can find.

2 comments:

  1. These are great weird dog and cat in the corner paintings. Who knew? It takes someone with a discerning eye!

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  2. You may already know that one of the most famous dogs in the corner of a painting is the black dog shown in Diego Velazquez's "Las Meninas." Here, because of the spaces inside of spaces created by the mirror and canvas and other paintings, may be some clues about why the dogs are used as such devices to protect margins with iconic magic (remember the 'cave canem' of Roman mosaics at entry-ways. The Romans also portrayed dogs under banquet tables, or under tables shown in funerary images. And, don't forget Cerberus!

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