LEXICON 2009

A Lexicon is a dictionary.  The word also describes morphemes, basic units of meaning in language.  This collection of diptychs is a lexicon of elements in my visual language.  Each painting in the diptych has a unique meaning, but when paired with the second image, the meanings change.  Content resides in the relationship between the two paintings.

In doing this work, I want to look at how meaning can be created through the use of realistic imagery.  Some paintings were designed to be together, others I paired by trial and error.  There wasn't a right or wrong combination.  The playfulness in how meaning is constructed came as I moved the paintings around on my studio wall like pieces in a board game.  An example:  the pearl under the rock makes me think of differences such as big and small, rough vs. smooth, valuable or ordinary.  From there, I wonder if the rock is like a big bully to the delicate pearl, or if the pearl is a snob because of it's superior physical beauty?  Are the two objects equally powerful, or does one oppress the other?  We move so quickly from physical differences into the realm of abstract feeling.  When I put the same pearl next to the small bird's skull, a whole new set of observations and abstractions arises.

I like listening to children when they first put words together.  They come up with sparkling combinations that seem to breathe new life into language.  In Lexicon, I am rethinking that process visually with a child's mixture of intent and randomness, and the urge to communicate at the simplest level.

Mary Hart
March 2009