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Brody-Lederman tackles the subject of everyday experience while straddling the line of private vs. public interpretation. The book is a written record of one individual’s experience, and Brody-Lederman illustrates the text with various media and moody colors. In this piece, she uses stamps to execute variations on the image of a business man. Her application of sprayed and brushed paint encloses the subject, yet simultaneously works to imply a disconnect. The borders of the page serve to render the content episodic.
[click to enlarge]
Brody-Lederman has said that her works are inspired by the everyday, and the subject matter[1] here alludes to the tight grip of consumerism and the culture of possession. In reference to her character “Howard:” “He felt uncomfortable unless he was in the fastest moving lane” could refer to the divorce of man and machine rendered by anxiety as a sensory experience. Brody-Lederman’s work, though concretely serving as record, implies an emotional, personal response found in the diary-like curvature of dashes and often smudged cursive. While earlier works may rely more heavily on the symbolic[2], current paintings up on Brody-Lederman’s website indicate an ongoing, but maturing relationship with icons through a different medium.
You can read more about this piece here.
[1] Gomez, Edward M. Art in America; Sep2008, Vol. 96 Issue 8, p171-171, 2/3p
[2] ART REVIEW; Two Who Transform The Ordinary Into Icons. New York Times [0362-4331] yr:1992 pg:20
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-Rebecca Kish