Title of Artwork: “Far From”
Artwork by Dorothea Tanning
Year Created 1964
About Far From
Carlo McCormick: I’d like to thank you. What changes have occurred in your perceptions of human frailty as a result of the passage of time? For as long as I can remember, you’ve had a strong sense of mortality.
There aren’t any. There is no need to be old and wise to understand our situation. I’ve always had the shadow of death as a sort of companion. But I’m glad you asked, because my work is generally regarded as erotic, regardless of whether or not it’s explicitly sexual. In other words, my paintings of swaying nudes are an assertion of what it means to be human. Some people interpret it as a declaration of sexiness. It’s ridiculous that the entire, not-so-cultural, establishment is obsessed with reducing almost everything we do that is inexplicable to sexuality. This yearning has its own name—glory, incandescence, love, and knowledge—and it is certainly strong—I would never say it isn’t. When you look at my photos, I hope you feel a little bit of this.
–From interview with Carlo McCormick, “Dorothea Tanning,” BOMB 33, (Fall 1990), p. p.
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