post-1850

• Process - mould and blood

  • He would have made a mould – a plaster mould made on the front and back of his head – 3D photo

  . reflecting his physiognomy

  • 10 pints of blood used

  . done by a doctor and taken gradually over a number of months

  . over 5 separate sessions

  . very much involves an intersection of art and science
• Process - making sure it retains its form

  • Pours blood into the mould of his head and froze it
  • he then realised for the blood to retain its form it needed to be placed in subzero silicone oil – which will seal the work
  • this discovery involved chemists and scientists getting involved – it is a multi-practise work
  • if it wasn’t in this silicone layer it would have morphed

   
• Interpretation - autobiographical

  • Autobiographical portrait
  • ides of dependency – he was dependent on alcohol when the work was made – and the work needs to be plugged in order to survive
  • just as the addict needs alcohol to survive so does the work need the work to survive with electricity
  • the encasement and almost ‘life-support’ system is both ‘visually and conceptually, essential’ – James Romaine
• Interpretation - Self and dependency

  • Will Self – is about ‘the idea of dependence’ and is universal – commenting how we all have vices and we are all dependent
• Interpretation - median of blood and Christian tradition

  • Association of the median of blood and the symbolism of it
  • could be tapping into Christian tradition and religious ritual – relics containing Saint’s blood
  • this idea of sacrifice – human sacrifice is broad
• Interpretation - Aids

  • 1991 – blood is an extremely emotive and sensitive topic and median – post the Aids crisis
  • blood out of the body is so suggestive of fragility and suffering and mortality
  • James Romaine - ‘Blood outside the body evokes woundedness, even death’
  • James Romaine – Quinn practises an ‘aesthetics of mortality’
• Interpretation - preservation

  • Could be an investigation of preservation – like mumification and cryopreservation
  • the idea of freezing was he original idea
  • both to do with modern and ancient practises on preservation
• Interpretation - decapitated heads

  • this idea of suffering and brutalised wounded body – decapitation and blood is prevalent in history of art
• Interpretation - accurate as himself

  • This is the most accurate and faithful way to communicate ones identity – or his identity
  • it is made from is own biological matter
• Interpretation - death masks

  • Evokes the idea of death masks – and preservation of the face and identity
  • ‘warts and all’ Roman portraiture were inspired by death marks
• Inspiration - ongoing

  • It is apart of an ongoing work – influenced by Rembrandt
  • Rem. Does continuous self-portraits throughout his life – more than any other artist in the 17th century
  • Quinn says he was inspired by him