British artist John Stezaker uses collage to explore the subversive within found images such as film magazines, vintage postcards and illustrations. Fall XII and Fall XIII (both 1992) were recently purchased for York Art Gallery through the Contemporary Art Society, the Art Fund and the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation. The male and female collages investigate traditional artistic training such as anatomical study and life drawing, by referencing the source material of Arthur Thompson’s book Anatomy for Art Students, a core text for students at the Slade School of Art until the 1970s.
Fall XII and Fall XIII were displayed at the Contemporary Art Society alongside other works from York’s collection that focus on the nude and flesh, including work by the Victorian painter William Etty and a work by Helen Chadwick from her Ego Geometria Sum series.
John Stezaker discussed his work at the Contemporary Art Society on 12 September at 19.00.