About this artwork
This turn-of-the-century lithograph advertisement presents a woman performing a gymnastic exercise. The wheel swing is an ancient motif linked to cycles and fortune, here imbued with the modern era's fascination for physical culture. Consider the wheel, an archetype found across cultures, from the Buddhist Dharma wheel to the Wheel of Fortune. This symbol of cyclical change and destiny resurfaces here in a seemingly mundane advertisement. It’s a fascinating echo, a subtle link to a deeper, shared human understanding of fate. But this isn't merely a depiction of physical prowess. It carries an undercurrent of societal shifts and the evolving role of women, suggesting freedom and capability. It reminds us that images, like memories, are not static. They transform, accumulate layers, and reflect our ever-changing world.
Forward Wheel Swing, from the Gymnastic Exercises series (N77) for Duke brand cigarettes 1887
W. Duke, Sons & Co.
1870 - 1920The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NYArtwork details
- Medium
- drawing, coloured-pencil, print
- Dimensions
- Sheet: 2 3/4 x 1 1/2 in. (7 x 3.8 cm)
- Location
- Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
- Copyright
- Public Domain
Tags
drawing
coloured-pencil
pictorialism
caricature
figuration
coloured pencil
19th century
men
genre-painting
history-painting
Comments
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About this artwork
This turn-of-the-century lithograph advertisement presents a woman performing a gymnastic exercise. The wheel swing is an ancient motif linked to cycles and fortune, here imbued with the modern era's fascination for physical culture. Consider the wheel, an archetype found across cultures, from the Buddhist Dharma wheel to the Wheel of Fortune. This symbol of cyclical change and destiny resurfaces here in a seemingly mundane advertisement. It’s a fascinating echo, a subtle link to a deeper, shared human understanding of fate. But this isn't merely a depiction of physical prowess. It carries an undercurrent of societal shifts and the evolving role of women, suggesting freedom and capability. It reminds us that images, like memories, are not static. They transform, accumulate layers, and reflect our ever-changing world.
Comments
No comments