Untitled (Mirror, Mirror)

Artist Page H. Laughlin American, born 1959

Date2000

MediumOil on linen mounted on panel

Dimensions37 1/4 x 35 1/2 x 1 3/8 in. (94.6 x 90.2 x 3.5 cm)

ClassificationsPaintings

Credit LinePurchased with funds from the William R. Roberson Jr. and Frances M. Roberson Endowed Fund for North Carolina Art

Object number2000.2

On View

Not on view

Label TextUntitled (Mirror, Mirror) belongs to Page H. Laughlin's series inspired by mass-media representations of the latest trend in home decor. The painting's heavily worked surface - brushed, scraped, rollered, and squeegeed - completely transforms its source. For all its bravura, a Laughlin painting is laced with melancholy; abundance coexists with - even fosters - unsatisfied longings.

Laughlin adds a parenthetical identifier to each title in the series. In the case of this painting, the identifying objects - a pair of mirrors - underscore Laughlin's theme. For one thing, the painting is a mirror image of contemporary taste (an idea neatly reinforced by a composition that is a near mirror image of itself). And using "mirror, mirror" (rather than simply the plural) brings to mind the fairy tale "Snow White." Consumers are caught up in competition to appear perhaps not the fairest of them all, but at least as affluent and stylish as their peers.
ProvenanceCreated Winston-Salem, NC, 2000; collection of the artist; sold to NCMA, 2000.
Published ReferencesHuston Paschal, Interiors (exhibition catalogue) (Raleigh: North Carolina Museum of Art, 2000), cat. no. 18, discussed 8, illus. (color) 17, detail (color) 8
Exhibition HistoryRaleigh, NC, North Carolina Museum of Art, "Interiors," September 17-December 3, 2000, cat. no. 18, discussed 8, illus. (color) 17, detail (color) 8.

Raleigh, NC, North Carolina Museum of Art, "Objects of Desire: The Museum Collects, 1994-2004," July 18, 2004-February 27, 2005.

Raleigh, NC, North Carolina Museum of Art, "Dwelling: Interiors by Page H. Laughlin and Pamela Pecchio," February 10-July 28, 2013. Object Rights Statement

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