Class of 1970 Art Fund at the Johnson Museum

Check-mate

The image of the young girl who is the subject of this drawing is approximately 4 inches tall (click here for see more detail).  Placed in the upper center of a sheet of white paper that measures 22 x 30 inches, she is precisely depicted, upside down and up to her ankles in water.  With her skirt gathered around her hips, she is alone with her distorted reflection.  There is no beach, no horizon, and no context.  According to Andrea Inselmann, Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art & Photpgraphy, "Something about the reflection in the water seems manacing, sparking our curiosity, engaging us psychologically and maybe even spiritually, inviting the kind of open-ended interpretation that can be found in fiction."  Inselmann continues, "The fact that Preheim situates her tiny figures on big sheets of paper has multiple connotations.  Maybe it suggests that distinct memories appear through the fog and murk of our consciousness, perhaps it relates to Preheim's upbringing in the vast landscapes of South Dakota.  While the tiny scale of Preheim’s drawings seems to suggest an intense intimacy, they are startlingly expansive at the same time."

Peggy Preheim American, born 1963 Check-mate, 2008 Pencil 22" x 30" Acquired through the generosity of the Class of 1970, supported by gifts from Beth and Stephen Treadway, Classes of 1970 and 1969, Madeline and Les Stern, Class of 1960, and Mr. and Mrs. L. William Kay, and supplemented by the David M. Solinger, Class of 1926, Fund 2010.023

updated on 25 FEB 2013