PHILOSOPHIES SELF IMAGE
2012 - Dates to be confirmed
Philosophies Self Image
The project draws on the tradition of allegorical art works of animals in human contexts. There have been numerous allegorical works anthropomorphizing animals in human contexts, yet some in the 19th century nevertheless create a commentary on current ideas of the time that place apes in the context of human culture and ironically claim for them observations and values of human intelligence. As a background to this project, Gould draws on specific influences of 19th century artworks that have depicted portraits (and not caricatures of primates) such as Monkey regarding a Skull (Darwin’s monkey) by Hugo Rheinhold (1892), and the paintings by Gabriel von Max from the same period. Gould’s intent is to explore the relationship of “ideas” in human/animal representation, turn them around in a kind of interspecies interaction in the format of a zoo exhibition and then to present the work in a gallery exhibition.
www.trevorgould.ca