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Bob and Roberta Smith's brand of art activism takes many forms. Gaffes are the bane of political campaigns, but Smith employs them as a campaigning tool. Among his many 'I believe in' texts, this proclamation of faith in J. M. W. Turner owes its charm to a kink in the spelling. Usually referred to by his initials, the misplacement of 'o' from Turner's middle name (Mallord) constructs a malapropism, confusing the great British landscape painter with a common duck. Both laudatory and levelling, Smith plays the fool, as if to provoke a response in the viewer. To present a painted text is to cut through issues about 'reading' a picture; the misspelling is an immediate hook for the eye. Smith cocks a snook at anxieties about the relevance of the medium, where painting is something of a sitting duck.
Title
I Believe in Joseph Mallard William Turner
Date
1998
Medium
gloss paint on panel
Measurements
H 152.5 x W 122 cm
Accession number
P7098
Acquisition method
purchased from Anthony Wilkinson Fine Art, 1999
Work type
Painting
British Council Collection
British Council, 1 Redman Place, London, Greater London E20 1JQ England
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Department of Ogolothinry (or Department of Ornithology) Royal London Hospital -
Department of Ogolothinry (or Department of Ornithology) Royal London Hospital -
Department of Ogolothinry (or Department of Ornithology) Royal London Hospital -
Department of Ogolothinry (or Department of Ornithology) Royal London Hospital -
Department of Ogolothinry (or Department of Ornithology) Royal London Hospital -
Department of Ogolothinry (or Department of Ornithology) Royal London Hospital -
Department of Ogolothinry (or Department of Ornithology) Royal London Hospital - 53 more