figs. 112-115. H1N1 (1918)
Graphite on paper
65 x 65 cm
H1N1 (1918) MORTALITY AND MORBIDITY The 1918 H1N1 virus, better known as Spanish Flu, was a pandemic that devastated the human species. Millions of people perished, among them the young painters Egon Schiele and Amadeo de Sousa-Cardoso; also Gustav Klimt, one of the figures of symbolism. The virus was relentless and did not discriminate! however, Edvard Munch was fortunate to survive and self-portray in the throes of suffering. These four artist portrait drawings constitute a single piece called H1N1 (1918). These teratological figures1 discuss their historical burden in universal culture and their fragility as mortals. Today (COVID-19) is present, leaving an immediate and perceptible mark; thanks to the media and information. Will we witness his legacy in history? I propose with this piece and its protagonists that we meditate on the new reality in which we live. Let us stop, and as we contemplate it, think about our vulnerability, mortality, and transcendence. Mortality 1. Quality of what has to die. 2. Proportional number of deaths in specific population or time. Morbidity 1. It is the incidence of diseases in the population and includes both fatal and non-fatal diseases. 2. Proportion of people who fall ill in a place during a given period of time in relation to the total population of that place. fig. 112. Gustav Klimt. Austrian painter victim of the Spanish Flu. fig. 113. Amadeo de Souza-Cardoso. Portuguese painter victim of the Spanish Flu. fig. 114 Egon Schiele. Austrian painter victim of the Spanish Flu. fig. 115 Edvard Munch. Norwegian artist survivor of the Spanish Flu. 1-Teratology 1. Scientific discipline that, within zoology, studies abnormal creatures, that is, those natural individuals in a species that do not respond to a common pattern. 2. Study of anomalies and monstrosities.
Exhibitions with this piece
Jorge Rodríguez
Virtual Exhibition
Jorge Rodríguez starts from the meaning of the word "figure" to display an arsenal of images. The spectrum of the series is vast: from determined figurations to others that flirt with the abstract. From certainly expressionist visions to surreal delusions. The references are multiple: schools and artistic movements, design trends, scientific drawings ... That abbreviation, "fig.", Can include many things. A graphic, a portrait, a landscape, a daydream. This series could be taken as a sample of the possibilities of art, which is an area that resists typecasting (although to a large extent an art history can be narrated from common places). The artist trusts his ability to create senses, communicate, "explain" ideas, specify metaphors, tell stories ... without the need for words. The strength of the image. Of the pure image. The figures of Jorge Rodríguez, who do not even have titles beyond the simple enumeration, become independent from a literary body. They are autonomous, or so they claim. It may seem that we are facing amusement, but the forcefulness and transparency of certain "messages" makes us reflect. Sometimes a figure is enough to understand a concept.
PRISMA
The Colors of Crisis
From the unmitigated evocation to the less obvious metaphor: several Cuban artists have recreated the demanding circumstances we live in - the worldwide crisis that has also become personal history. The current COVID-19 pandemic has impacted dissemination and commercialization of art; likewise, it has affected the artistic process and confirmed that artists do not live in ivory towers: context always matters. ArteMorfosis - Cuban Art Platform, launched a call for artists living on the island to create artworks related to the current pandemic: the challenges, hopes, desires, alternatives, the unexpected consequences of the universal lockdown. The initiative - PRISMA The Colors of Crisis - invites Facebook users to like and promote their favorite artworks. And it is more: facilitating potential buyers and artists to discover each other and enabling acquisition and sales of artworks that will become chroniclers of these challenging times. ArteMorfosis invites you to the online exhibition: The created works constitute inspired testimony, your likes convey relevancy, your shares help increase reach, and your purchases enable the artists to endure and hope for new normality.