Slack Wire

Albert Bloch, artist

1882–1961

Slack Wire, 1911

Where object was made: United States

Material/technique: oil; canvas

Dimensions:
Canvas/Support (Height x Width x Depth): 51 x 65 cm
Canvas/Support (Height x Width x Depth): 20 1/16 x 25 9/16 in

Credit line: Museum purchase

Accession number: 1979.0069

Not on display

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Label texts

Exhibition Label:
"Albert Bloch: Prints and Drawings," Jan-2014, Stephen Goddard
Bloch addresses tightrope walking or, in this case, a variant known as slack wire, in three works in this exhibition, including this painting. In slack wire, the performer’s own weight creates the tension in the wire or rope. For all their connections to performance and the circus, these balancing acts seem to have a deeper relevance, perhaps in terms of difficult and dangerous passage, whether spiritual or physical (or possibly both).