Name/Title
Primal Sign IEntry/Object ID
3177.020.Pr22Description
The work itself is a subconscious mark, the human psyche displayed directly on the canvas. Psychological automatism allows an artist to act spontaneously with unedited expression of their subconscious. The artist approaches a psychological automatism piece with no intention. Therefore, bypassing social filters.
Robert Motherwell’s "Primal Sign I" offers viewers a means to escape social pressures. This work is a representation of pure instinct, how we would act without the manners of civility. All masks are stripped away to offer insight into the most fundamental representation of who Motherwell was in that very moment. By creating a reference to the Mars symbol, he projects an instance overcome by masculinity, channeling a primitive male crudeness.
The drive and initiative to create such works, advertently questioning social constructs, showcase the prevalence of such pressures and the turmoil that accompany them. Motherwell blatantly exposes the masks we create by stripping them away and depicting untouched human behavior.
However, one cannot operate in society in a fugue subconscious state. What Motherwell offers is a technique that brings the artist and audience beyond reality for a brief time. In understanding the method and technique of Motherwell’s Primal series, audiences question who they would be, or how they would act without the rigidity of both gender and social norms. Motherwell challenges the world we know in search of freedom by stripping away the masks society has taught us to wear.Artwork Details
Medium
Aquatint, lift-ground etchingAcquisition
Accession
3177Source or Donor
Robert DuffyAcquisition Method
GiftCredit Line
Gift of Robert Duffy, 2022Inscription/Signature/Marks
Type
Signature, EditionLocation
LRDimensions
Dimension Description
SightHeight
29-3/4 inWidth
22-3/4 inDimension Description
FinishedHeight
37 inWidth
30 in