"As autumn settles across the land, and there is more darkness than sunlight in each day, it is traditional to think about Halloween, and the dead.
There are several painting in existence that portray imagined macabre scenes that encourage the mind to loosen all grip on reality, and open the portals for the nightmares to dive between the nether worlds and our mortal existence.
However, what occurs when art does not just suggest death, but incorporates parts of deceased beings into the art work? The imagined becomes monstrously real in a grotesque way, as with Study of a Head, and other sculptures created with human teeth and various animal parts."
Read more here: https://marjoriemorgan.substack.com/p/the-macabre-bones-of-art
Artists featured in this Curation:
Ana Maria Pacheco (b.1943), Joseph Beuys (1921–1986), unknown artist and
Thelma Hulbert (1913–1995)
13 artworks
© Ana Maria Pacheco, courtesy of Pratt Contemporary / Bridgeman Images. Image credit: Harris Museum, Art Gallery & Library
Study of a Head 1990
Ana Maria Pacheco (b.1943)
Polychromed wood, glass & human teeth
H 19.5 x W 25 cm
Harris Museum, Art Gallery & Library
© DACS 2024. Image credit: National Galleries of Scotland
Friday Object, 1st Class Fried Fish Bones (Herring) 1970
Joseph Beuys (1921–1986)
Fishbone & greaseproof paper in a glass-fronted wooden box
H 30.5 x W 11.5 x D 6.5 cm
National Galleries of Scotland
Image credit: Horniman Museum and Gardens
Female Fetish Figure 1870
unknown artist
Wood, copper alloy, bead, glass, resin, human tooth & string
H 68.5 x W 15 x D 14 cm
Horniman Museum and Gardens
Image credit: Horniman Museum and Gardens
Male Fetish Figure 1870
unknown artist
Wood, copper alloy, glass, resin, human tooth & string
H 64 x W 12.5 x D 14 cm
Horniman Museum and Gardens
Image credit: St Albans Museums
© the copyright holder. Image credit: Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery
Montage: Black and White c.1970
Thelma Hulbert (1913–1995)
Oil, fabric & fish bones on canvas
H 57 x W 61 cm
Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery
Image credit: Fiona Jeffrey / Art UK
Image credit: National Museums Scotland
Panel with Two Figures* c.1870
unknown artist
Wood & pāua shell
H 242 x W 61 x D 5 cm
National Museums Scotland
Image credit: Historic Environment Scotland
Male and Female Fetish Figures 1870
unknown artist
Wood, copper alloy, bead, glass, resin, human tooth & string
Horniman Museum and Gardens
© the copyright holder. Image credit: Ilfracombe Museum
Image credit: National Museums Scotland
Ancestor Figure of a Man* late 19th–early 20th C
unknown artist
Wood, obsidian & bird bone
H 44.5 cm
National Museums Scotland
Image credit: National Museums Scotland
Woman with Flattened Body* 19th C
unknown artist
Wood, obsidian & bird bone
H 64.5 x W 14 x D 10.5 cm
National Museums Scotland
