colophon, Christopher T. Creyts; Matthew Day Jackson; Collaborative Art Editions

Artwork Overview

born 1974
colophon, 2015–2016
Where object was made: United States
Material/technique: photogravure
Dimensions:
Image Dimensions Height/Width (Height x Width): 603 x 450 mm
Image Dimensions Height/Width (Height x Width): 23 3/4 x 17 11/16 in
Sheet/Paper Dimensions (Height x Width): 688 x 521 mm
Sheet/Paper Dimensions (Height x Width): 27 1/16 x 20 1/2 in
Plate Mark/Block Dimensions (Height x Width): 610 x 457 mm
Plate Mark/Block Dimensions (Height x Width): 24 1/2 x 18 0.9921 in
Credit line: Museum purchase: Peter T. Bohan Art Acquisition Fund
Accession number: 2016.0024.01
Not on display

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Images

Label texts

Audubon in the Anthropocene: Works by Matthew Day Jackson
This title page, or colophon, for There Will Come Soft Rains details the sources and concepts that Jackson brings to each of the twelve representations of birds originally painted by John James Audubon in order to achieve a new artistic statement. These sources include a poem of the same name by Sara Teasdale and allusions to twelve different apocalyptic scenarios that would bring about an end to Earth as we know it. The notion of an end of days is part of all major religions, has been a preoccupation of humans for most, if not all, of human history, and has become a powerful motivator to anyone concerned by climate change. Perhaps Jackson’s correlation of these birds with apocalyptic scenarios is ultimately inspired by the art itself. Out of the more than 400 North American birds identified by Audubon in The Birds of America, a comparatively small number are now extinct. And yet, three of the twelve species highlighted in this particular set of Audubon reproductions are now either extinct or potentially extinct. The high extinction rate among this small selection naturally promotes associations with mortality and the intertwined fates of birds and humans who share this fragile ecosphere.
Audubon in the Anthropocene: Works by Matthew Day Jackson
This title page, or colophon, for There Will Come Soft Rains details the sources and concepts that Jackson brings to each of the twelve representations of birds originally painted by John James Audubon in order to achieve a new artistic statement. These sources include a poem of the same name by Sara Teasdale and allusions to twelve different apocalyptic scenarios that would bring about an end to Earth as we know it. The notion of an end of days is part of all major religions, has been a preoccupation of humans for most, if not all, of human history, and has become a powerful motivator to anyone concerned by climate change. Perhaps Jackson’s correlation of these birds with apocalyptic scenarios is ultimately inspired by the art itself. Out of the more than 400 North American birds identified by Audubon in The Birds of America, a comparatively small number are now extinct. And yet, three of the twelve species highlighted in this particular set of Audubon reproductions are now either extinct or potentially extinct. The high extinction rate among this small selection naturally promotes associations with mortality and the intertwined fates of birds and humans who share this fragile ecosphere.

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