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Monotype on white MBM Ingres d’Arches paper. Signed by the artist, annotated “IA”, and dated 1990 lower right in pencil.
This large monotype depicts a group of young men swimming in a pool. Wearing goggles and swim caps, some clamber out of the water next to guardrails, while others dip in the water up to their necks and play with a ball. Flowing strokes of grey and black emulate the movement and dimension of water. The translucency of the ink is showcased by Zalopany’s loose, painterly brush strokes, which create rich layers of texture. In the distance, a grey city skyline rises in outline, a stark contrast to the water’s natural beauty.
The composition of Temptation to Exist was inspired by a page in an old picture book. This use of found imagery is characteristic of Zalopany’s large-scale realism: in this work, sheer washes of black and grey evoke the nostalgia and beauty of a vintage photograph. The artist also produced this monotype in color, in the manner frequently employed by Jasper Johns.
