Revolutionary Cleanser 1983

Dennis Kardon created this print, Revolutionary Cleanser, using lithography and linocut. A central figure stares out, holding a feather, a book open to reveal a classical image over their shoulder, and a strange symbol on their chest. The feather, an instrument of writing and creation, here seems to tickle or perhaps even torment. We see this motif echoed across time, from medieval allegories of temptation to surrealist explorations of the subconscious. Consider Hieronymus Bosch's visions of torment, where similar instruments become agents of psychological unrest. This symbolism is not linear, but cyclical. The feather's meaning has evolved, resurfacing in different contexts, yet always retaining a connection to the subconscious, a reminder of the delicate balance between pleasure and pain, creation and destruction.