Paul Wunderlich
German, 1927 - 2010Aida, 1977
Not on view
Lithograph on paper
Dimensions29 3/4 × 21 7/8 in. (75.6 × 55.6 cm)
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Keith Davis, 1979.56
Paul Wunderlich is a highly prolific artist, creating many works in a variety of media such as painting, sculpture, and printmaking. His works are often fanciful or even bizarre, and range from minimal black and white, to colorful and complex images of the surreal. He has a great interest in creating images that are abstracted, but still represent recognizable subjects. Many of his earlier works appear similar to those of Joan Miró in their use of biomorphic shapes and symbols.
Aida was created as the first of a set of eight prints that were to be used as poster designs for the Metropolitan Opera in 1977. Aida is an opera which was composed by Giuseppe Verdi and premiered in Cairo in 1871. Stylistically, Paul Wunderlich’s print is highly surreal. Elongated figures stretch out from the side of the print, while an eye peers out from the wall on the right side of the composition. The central figure of an ancient Egyptian woman seems to exist in several planes; she appears to have four breasts and an extra set of arms that is perpendicular to the frontal plane of the print. Wunderlich has combined reality with fantasy, resulting in an image that is both intriguing and disconcerting.
