Exhibits › For the Time Being
“For The Time Being”: An introduction by Bob Barancik
The past is dead and gone, and the future is unknowable.
We must think and act in the present moment, having only insufficient information and insight about our real situation right now. This is the human predicament.
Prescient pundits, scientists, movie directors, and science fiction writers may promote grand forecasts and visions of the future. But they are generally inaccurate and always incomplete. Most of us, most of the time, just react emotionally to events with either cautious optimism or a mild sense of foreboding as to what comes next—both personally and as planetary citizens. We are ruled by randomness with a brain ill-suited for unceasing technological and social change.
Perhaps the American presidential election of 2016 epitomizes this inherent dilemma. The country was split more-or-less evenly between a populist uprising and a globalist status quo. At this point in time, no one really knows what is around the corner.
My mixed-media drawing-collages were created in June of 2017. It was a spontaneous, post-operative creative outpouring of imagery after a cervical spinal fusion. It metaphorically relieved a “pain in my neck.”
The graphic style of “For the Time Being” was influenced and informed by works of expressionist printmaker Erich Heckel and experimental collagist Kurt Schwitters. Both artists did much of their most memorable creations during the 1920s ill-fated Weimar Republic in Germany. The rise of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party was the historical background noise during their era.
This series of graphic art is a continuation of my “engaging the zeitgeist” exhibits. Previous series include “9/11: Visual Ruminations” and “Flummoxed: Prints Drawn from a Bewildering World.” Both were produced in 2016.
Bob Barancik
September 4, 2017
Signature Series: Blue
Signature Series: Gold
Technical Notes
The mixed-media drawing collages were created on acid-free 4x6 inch watercolor paper. One side has a gold/bronze background and the other side a deep blue. Archival grade acrylic ink and paint were used. The line drawings were created primarily with archival ink and paint on acid-free paper. The adhesive is archival and acid-free.
The prints were created on Hahnemuhle Fineart Pearl Paper designed for digital printing. Mini-artist-proof sheets are available in an 8.5x11 inch format and the signature exhibition prints are 17x22 inches. These prints can either be left uncoated from the printer or coated with Hahnemuhle Protective Spray for Fine Art Digitial Prints as per manufacturer's instructions.
Please contact Bob Barancik for additional information.
Contact Bob Barancik
email: bobcreates@earthlink.net
cell+text: 215.964.3937