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Matrix: Contemporary Printmaking - Museum of Fine Arts - Florida ...

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Fall 2009<br />

MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS EXHIBIT:<br />

ARTISTS’ BIOGRAPHIES<br />

Mark Hosford<br />

Mark Hosford<br />

The Hidden Pieces from Silhouette Series<br />

2002 – 2008<br />

Mark Hosford is a musician,<br />

animator, and artist whose prints<br />

and drawings are inspired by the<br />

vivid dreams he had as a child as<br />

well as the type <strong>of</strong> “fantastic<br />

imagery and sociological<br />

investigations” found in the prints<br />

<strong>of</strong> Los Caprichos by Francisco<br />

Goya. Hosford first became<br />

interested in printmaking because<br />

the method for creating an image<br />

is indirect, and the process<br />

afforded him the ability to produce<br />

multiples.<br />

When working on a print,<br />

many steps are taken before the<br />

actual outcome is known. Hosford<br />

describes this relationship as<br />

“collaborating” with the medium<br />

instead <strong>of</strong> “commanding” it. He<br />

also likens this process to a math<br />

problem, his favorite subject in<br />

school, where the artist has to go<br />

through many steps in solving a<br />

problem in order to be rewarded<br />

with an answer.<br />

His recent prints come from different moments in life, some specifically drawn<br />

from Hosford’s own past, and some based on ambiguous scenarios from his<br />

observations <strong>of</strong> society. The subjects <strong>of</strong> these range from the first contemplation <strong>of</strong> loss,<br />

such as the death <strong>of</strong> a loved one, to issues such as gender and religion. His figures<br />

<strong>of</strong>ten appear in silhouette so as to give a more general representation <strong>of</strong> these<br />

experiences.<br />

In The Hidden Pieces, Hosford includes slightly grotesque features that <strong>of</strong>ten<br />

inhabit his works. The strange pile <strong>of</strong> monsters partially hidden behind the screen is<br />

exactly the type <strong>of</strong> nightmarish image frequently seen in Hosford’s art. The prevalent<br />

use <strong>of</strong> pink to dominate both the entire picture plane and the screen behind the figure<br />

suggests a traditional characterization <strong>of</strong> the female gender. He renders the figure in<br />

silhouette; she strokes her own hair and looks down. She symbolizes contemplation or<br />

possibly melancholy. While the exact subject matter is intentionally ambiguous, the<br />

contrast between the young girl and the horrific monsters evokes the strong emotions <strong>of</strong><br />

a vivid dream, or perhaps a nightmare.<br />

Mark Hosford is an Assistant Pr<strong>of</strong>essor <strong>of</strong> Art at Vanderbilt University in<br />

Nashville, Tennessee, and holds both a Bachelor <strong>of</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> and Master <strong>of</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> degrees in<br />

printmaking.<br />

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