{"id":19768,"date":"2013-03-19T05:56:15","date_gmt":"2013-03-19T11:56:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/?p=19768"},"modified":"2019-11-11T14:24:58","modified_gmt":"2019-11-11T20:24:58","slug":"stephen-duncan-and-poor-yorick","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/stephen-duncan-and-poor-yorick\/","title":{"rendered":"Stephen Duncan and Poor Yorick"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Stilts<\/a>

Stilts #7 by Stephen Duncan, 5×6 in.<\/p><\/div>\n

True authenticity is a rarity in artists.\u00a0 Authenticity must not be confused with the breakthrough or enigmatic qualities of the \u201ccutting-edge,\u201d which is popular and in vogue. \u00a0The rarity is found in the outsider artist, who remains true to misunderstood, uncommon ways.\u00a0 This defines Stephen Duncan.\u00a0 Educated in traditional forms of art-making, Duncan chooses to adhere to historical means and methods that establish a connection with the tradition he feels deeply and passionately about.<\/p>\n

The vehicle for Duncan\u2019s traditionalism is ink wash drawing.\u00a0 Originally drawings were preparatory works, outlines for altarpieces and frescoes or cartoons for woven tapestries. Eventually, artists like Watteau, Fragonard, Greuze, and Chardin elevated the rudimentary materials of chalk, ink and pencil into mediums for impressive works in their own right, with expressive qualities equal to tempera and oil paint. Duncan continues this tradition, using time-tested, hand-crafted processes to create lively works full of simple sensuality.<\/p>\n

Duncan begins with a husked walnut, which must be opened to release a dark viscous substance called hull.\u00a0 This is seeped, put in a saucepan with water and boiled. After much of the water has evaporated, the remaining thick substance is strained through women\u2019s nylon to produce ink that is ready for work.<\/p>\n

Duncan uses this natural material in broad washes and fine lines in fanciful works that delight.\u00a0 Absurd figures, high above ground, walk skillfully on towering spindly spider leg-like stilts.\u00a0 Secondary characters express unfathomable normalcy in the face of the absurd, while the stilted ones march onward like pilgrims on a pilgrimage to nowhere.\u00a0 These works, some of which were recently exhibited at Charley Hafen Gallery, are reminiscent of Goya\u2019s early \u201ccaprices\u201d \u2014 where children prance merrily around a Maypole, men brimming with machismo strum their guitars, and women dance the flamenco with a hint of immodesty. Duncan\u2019s Charley Hafen exhibit was billed as exploring \u201cthe trees, the trail, the sunlight and the skyline\u201d of the Jordan Parkway, but the works reveal little trace of the contemporary world and have about them a tangible, timeless presence.<\/p>\n

For their lush simplicity melding profound sensuality, these are astonishing and invigorating objects of beauty.\u00a0 For their curious wonderment these washes that defy time and space are extraordinary documents of a timely tradition, a tradition with secrets imperative to maintain.<\/p>\n

If you missed Stephen Duncan\u2019s work at Charley Hafen Gallery, you have another chance to see them this week at the Poor Yorick Spring Equinox event. On Friday, March 22, from 6-10 pm artists\u2019 studios will be open to the public. Browse art while you listen to the smooth sounds of the Salty City Cello Band. You\u2019ll find Duncan\u2019s studio at C1. You can also see his work at his website: steveduncanart.blogspot.com<\/a>. Poor Yorick Studios is located at 126 W Crystal Ave (2590 S), South Salt Lake, Utah 84115.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

True authenticity is a rarity in artists.\u00a0 Authenticity must not be confused with the breakthrough or enigmatic qualities of the \u201ccutting-edge,\u201d which is popular and in vogue. \u00a0The rarity is found in the outsider artist, who remains true to misunderstood, uncommon ways.\u00a0 This defines Stephen Duncan.\u00a0 Educated in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":19769,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[312,239,1225],"class_list":["post-19768","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-visual_arts","tag-charley-hafen-gallery","tag-poor-yorick","tag-stephen-duncan"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/SteveDuncanArt_stilts7_5x6.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-26 06:44:07","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19768","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19768"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19768\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48050,"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19768\/revisions\/48050"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19769"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19768"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19768"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19768"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}