Gallery ReportPrisoner of Love #4By GLENN LIGONAt Orange County Museum of Art, California For Introduction to Art
... image…” , and then he repeats the same sentence over and over until he eventually fills the whole page with these unique words. Looking at the way these words appear on the page, primarily it is clear and easy to read, but as it approaches to the bottom of the page it seems that he intentionally applies a little bit of black oil in the background to make the words indecipherable. Perhaps the first response to this piece of art is, why did he write the same sentence over and over? Why did he choose this particular sentence? What does this sentence imply? What could be the message hidden in his words? Why did he choose simple materials? Is there a specific reason for making the background darker at the bottom? Clearly, Glenn Ligon deliberately makes the forms, values, and shapes of this piece simple and ordinary to direct our focal attention on the written words. These words have a significant role in this piece and that is to portray the artist’s message. Hence, Glenn Ligon makes his ideas and thoughts more significant and remarkable by avoiding complexity and complication in constructing the forms and textures that grasps these ideas and thoughts. Looking at the words that he has written an...