Matrix: Contemporary Printmaking - Museum of Fine Arts - Florida ...
Matrix: Contemporary Printmaking - Museum of Fine Arts - Florida ...
Matrix: Contemporary Printmaking - Museum of Fine Arts - Florida ...
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
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 />
27