Drawings Richard Metz

About the drawings

run its a monster see saw the block tight brood
fly the coop notes dinner over the hill pol parade
wild wood      
     

Artist Statement- Richard Metz - Protest Woodcuts 2006

    Woodcuts are to me, a very good way to present political ideas in the visual arts. The exciting work of Kathe Kollwitz and Franz Masereel in the 1920s and 30s helped create this tradition. It was strong social commentary presented in a medium that was both visually powerful enough to convey the urgency of the message, and able to be widely distributed as prints. The visceral handmade quality of woodcuts is to me, also an important rebellion against the impersonal technologies of the 21st century.
    I am very interested in the traditions of both parades and carnivale, and political protest. The connections are that both forms of popular expression are directly expressed to the audience, both are performed outside traditional cultural venues, and both can present societal and political alternatives to the dominant culture. I advocate and participate in making parades more political and protests more creative.

    I am excited by the physicality and creativity of dance within our ordinary daily life. Dancing makes us feel good, and forms a strong basis for many spiritual exercises. Many times, political protests seem dogged by the same blandness as corporate life. My woodcuts involving dancing protests are a way to portray a form as subversive as the slogans. As the radical Emma Goldman said,” If I can’t dance, I don’t want to be part of your revolution”

 

About the drawings

My recent drawings and prints focus on humanoid creatures and animals moving and exploring terrain. The limitations and clarity of black and white with very limited color allow me to extend my imagination to both the characters and more creative picture structures. My drawings derive from my own pleasures; hiking, walking in my neighborhood, performing in public, and playing and watching music.

I want to acknowledge Paul Klee, Dr. Suess, and Jean Dubuffet as some of my favorite drawing artists. I am impressed by how each artist has not only created unique characters but has also wed them to a formal compositional idea. Their spaces and characters are inseparable.

One intention of the work is to transmit a dynamic, playful, humor. I am focused here on portraying different kinds of parades that relate to the Carnivale traditions and rituals around the world. These imaginative costumed public events display a creative cultural individuality. Philadelphia’s Mummers are so different from New Orleans’s strummers and Rio’s dancers. In the deadening public space of daily life in our capitalist marketplace, the Carnivale is a welcome burst of energy.

Richard Metz

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