It's Obvious What You Are
Artist
Al Capp
(American, 1909-1979)
CultureAmerican
Date1974
MediumScreenprint
DimensionsOverall: 23 1/4 x 24 3/4 in. (59.1 x 62.9 cm)
Credit LineGift of Mr. Leslie Kleyman, ICC Industries, Inc.
Object number78.650.2B
Not on view
DescriptionOne of a series of 17 cartoons.Label TextAl Capp American (1909–1979) It's Obvious What You Are, 1974 It's Obvious What You Are, 1974 Silk screens Gifts of Mr. Leslie Kleyman, ICC Industries, Inc. 78.650.2B and 78.650.2E, respectively Spending most of her time in the company of pigs, in these works, the unkept, raven-haired beauty Moonbeam McSwine receives an abrupt welcome from a local innkeeper. These two prints were created in a batch of thirty and at first glance appear to be exactly the same. A closer inspection, however, reveals the discrepancies that can occur in the silk screen process. In the print on the left, the old woman’s gray hair color is misaligned and spills out into the raw canvas. In the other, McSwine’s dress appears much darker, as does an airbrushed patch of red paint to the left of the figure. While silk-screening evoked the repetitive processes of industrial production, 1960s Pop artist Andy Warhol, as well as Capp, emphasized its potential for imperfections by using too much ink and slightly offsetting the printing.
Parent/Child