Blue Fountains
Sainz, Francisco
1970
Artwork Information
-
Title:
Blue Fountains
-
Artist:
Sainz, Francisco
-
Artist Bio:
American (born in Spain), 1923–1998
-
Date:
1970
-
Medium:
Color lithograph
-
Dimensions:
18 1/2 x 24 3/8 inches
-
Credit Line:
Wichita Art Museum, Gift of Abraham Tannenbaum
-
Object Number:
1975.25
-
Display:
Not Currently on Display
About the Artwork
Artist Francisco Sainz loved to reinvent himself. In his life, Sainz was a teen-aged Spanish soldier, a New York artist, an actor, a musician, a wedding officiate, and a cook who specialized in making paella.
Sainz’s own changeable personality found its surprising and apt expression in the production of playful double-sided masks. This particular mask allowed Sainz to transform himself into an animal. “One should possess, among other powers, the ability to identify himself with an animal or magically to transform himself into one,” he noted. In this mask, the artist’s self-portrait is visible on the interior and his new animal-like personality appears on the outside. The bold, impulsive style of the work reflects the artist’s own spontaneous and whimsical personality.