Louis XIV, John Clem Clarke; Hyacinthe Rigaud

Exhibition Label:
"Conversaton XI: Pomp Up the Jam, Performance & Pageanty in Art," Jun-2011, SMA 2010-2011 Interns
Persona
The artworks in this gallery explore the ways pageantry can elevate the individual. The selection emphasizes persona, or the public construct of identity, especially for emperors, monarchs, or politicians. Several of these images reflect the construction of authority through ostentatious, propagandistic displays. Examples include Andrea Mantegna’s imagined scene of ancient Roman soldiers carrying war booty to proclaim Julius Caesar’s military might, and Yoshu Nobuyasa’s triumphant return of the Meiji Emperor after Japan’s victory over China for control of Korea in the 19th century. The interconnection of identity, politics, and public performance can also be seen in John Clem Clarke’s color lithograph Louis XIV, a modern take on the 17th century French king’s iconic state portrait, and Feng Yan’s close-up photograph of the tire of Chairman Mao Zedong’s 1960s limousine. Designed to dazzle and overwhelm through scale or color, the prints, photographs, sculpture, and beach towel displayed here give visual form to eminent personas. These images generate stimulating questions. How has the relationship between power and persona changed since the 15th century? Are pomp and splendor fundamental to the public identity of politicians and civic leaders, both past and present?