“Although I was certainly aware of numerous depictions of this cap in European and early American art when I began work on the Big Phrygian sculpture, I only discovered the engraved image of the black man wearing the red Phrygian cap — the image that appears on the exhibition announcement — years afterwards.”
Martin Puryear's exhibition at Matthew Marks this winter introduced his new sculpture and works on paper. Circling around the theme of the Phrygian cap or the liberty cap, Puryear continues to transcend time and style with an intense aesthetic of economy and truth to form.
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| Martin, Puryear, Untitled (State 2), 2014, Color softground etching with drypoint and Chine collé on Somerset White paper 35 x 28 inches; 89 x 71 cm |
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| Martin Puryear, Phrygian (Cap in the Air), 2012, Color softground etching with spitbite aquatint, aquatint, and drypoint on Somerset White paper, 35 x 28 inches |
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| Martin Puryear, Phrygian Plot, 2012, Inlaid holly and black dyed veneer 60 x 74 x 4 inches |
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| Martin Puryear, Faux Vitrine, Mirror polished stainless steel, curly maple, black walnut, marine plywood, japan color |