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Dimensions: 60 by 48 in. 152.4 by 121.9 cm.
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Provenance: Sprüth Magers Lee, London
Acquired by the previous owner from the above
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Exhibited: New York, Nicholas Robinson Gallery, George Condo: Paintings from the Last 10 Years, November - December 2007
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Literature: Ralph Rugoff, The Imaginary Portraits of George Condo, New York, 2002, p. 122, illustrated in color (incorrect date and dimensions; image reversed)
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Notes: "It is through a carnival-like burlesque that Condo continually subverts the terms he is using...The many absurd portraits he paints are masks, behind which he works." - Henry Geldzahler
Maturing during the decadent New York art scene of the 1980's, George Condo has established himself as one of the most original artists of his generation. While his peers, such as Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring indulged and ultimately fell victim to the excesses of the street/punk/underground, Condo journeyed abroad and thrived, moving first to Cologne then settling in Paris. While in the French capital, Condo began painting clowns and portraits while he studied old masters such as Van Dyck, Velasquez and Rembrandt. Concurrently, the artist also immersed himself in the study of Picasso and Miro, gradually absorbing their visual innovations and fractured techniques. Eventually, he applied the lessons of the great masters to create his own unique work, perfecting his ability to express his inner-most thoughts both conscious and sub-conscious and revealing his sometimes fantastic, sometimes absurd interpretation of the world. Indeed, as the artist has noted, "Once I became proficient in the different techniques of the past I began to incorporate up to five different styles into a single work of art... I would combine the loose application of paint found in a Fragonard with a more structured figure study as seen in a Rembrandt. Finally, I decided to take all these different styles and paint Bugs Bunny." (Mark Sanders, "George Condo: The Condo Effect", Another Magazine, Autumns/Winter 2004, p. 419) Perhaps the most recognizable and renowned aspect of Condo's work are his portraits. No less than three monographs in the past 5 years have been devoted solely to this aspect of his oeuvre. As Mark Sanders notes, "Stemming back to the mid-1980's, these beings have slowly developed into what [Condo] refers to as Pod People and are indicative of an alternative reality linked to the darker recesses of his subconscious." (Ibid. p. 410) As such, these paintings can be considered partial self-portraits, or perhaps more accurately, inward portraits of the artist's persona. Indeed, he notes, "I believe that when I paint I become a conduit or medium for antipodal beings, between myself and the visions that exist inside me...Beyond the conscious awareness of each of us there are thousands of these creatures who exist within the factory of our minds." (Ibid. p. 420) In the present work, the Wolfman appears as a very stately figure, in a pose reminiscent of baroque portraiture. Unlike Lon Chaney's fierce portrayal of the monster in the 1941 classic film, Condo's creature seems relatively innocuous, with large inquisitive eyes and proud flowing facial hair. The sharp nubs of his teeth look rather harmless underneath his large bulbous nose. With a rather welcoming demeanor, the sitter seems more inclined to give a handshake rather than to tear the viewer to shreds. Perhaps this aspect of Condo's subconscious represents the subdued beast consciously restraining its own furious agency, sizing us up and appearing gentlemanly, although possessing the power to rip us apart. Accordingly, the viewer may feel self-conscious in the presence of such a curious creature, outwardly bestial yet inwardly sanguine, judging its viewer as it is being judged. As such, it is unsurprising that the artist goal is, "to make painting that decide whether the person looking at them is any good or not and not the other way around." (Ibid. p. 419)
