Word: babelã
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Dates: during 2002-2002
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...paintings dominate the exhibit, divided into two major thematic thrusts, both of which explore the notion and expand the definition of a self-portrait. One is a series of monochromatic studies that draw heavily on Pieter Bruegel the Elder’s “The Tower of Babel?? paintings. In Bergstein’s “Mount II,” a decaying round structure emerges out of a charred and flat landscape. Fractured rising levels are energized by thin lines that betray the motion of a building buffeted by wind, as the sky overhead swirls...
Aside from being a grandiose, conflicted, psychological statement, “Babel?? is infused with a dense griminess that foreshadows the ultimate demise of the mythological tower. The vaguely phallic structure references the Biblical tale of the Babylonians who attempted to construct a tower that would ascend to the heavens. Despite the provocative titling, however, his monochromatic apocalypses are more concerned with “mortality, power and a vacuum,” as Bergstein told The Crimson at the exhibit’s opening. They possess a vibrating, quivering energy and darkly morbid overtones from penetrating lines...