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Lot Essay
'Why the fact is, you see, Miss, this here ought to have been a red rose-tree, and we put a white one in by mistake; and if the Queen was to find it out, we should all have our heads cut off, you know. So you see, Miss, we're doing our best, afore she comes, to-' At this moment Five, who had been anxiously looking across the garden, called out 'The Queen! The Queen!' and the three gardeners instantly threw themselves flat upon their faces. There was a sound of many footsteps, and Alice looked round, eager to see the Queen
And then, turning to the rose-tree, she went on, 'What have you been doing here?'
'May it please your Majesty,' said Two, in a very humble tone, going down on one knee as he spoke, 'we were trying-'
'I see!' said the Queen, who had meanwhile been examining the roses. 'Off with their heads!' and the procession moved on, three of the soldiers remaining behind to execute the unfortunate gardeners, who ran to Alice for protection.
(L. Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Chapter VIII THE QUEEN'S CROQUET-GROUND).
The composition of Off With Their Heads follows many of John Wesely's early works, often rendered in an Art Deco Poster-Art style with an edge-painted border and vertical lay-out. With Wesley's working method, the subject matter is never one-hundred percent clear, but from the title Off With Their Heads we inextricably infer from our primary schooling that Wesley is referencing Lewis Carroll's beloved and iconic story from Alice in Wonderland (in fact, Wesley painted Alice in the nude several times a year earlier), with the Queen as a mythical Maharaja and Alice's multiple heads floating along the edges. This exploring and twisting of children's stories and fairy tales is a common theme for the artist who depicts scenes of Winnie the Pooh and later, Minnie Mouse and Popeye. Of course, signature to Wesley, the tale is imbued with an underlying eroticism offset by a seemingly innocent and coy motif.
John Wesley's use of serial repetition often draws attention to his close relationships with minimalist artists such as Donald Judd, Dan Flavin, or his ex-wife Jo Baer. However, despite their friendships, Wesley's use of repetition distinctly collages a narrative mixed with emotion and Surrealism, giving his paintings a original twist away from Minimalism and Pop-Art.
And then, turning to the rose-tree, she went on, 'What have you been doing here?'
'May it please your Majesty,' said Two, in a very humble tone, going down on one knee as he spoke, 'we were trying-'
'I see!' said the Queen, who had meanwhile been examining the roses. 'Off with their heads!' and the procession moved on, three of the soldiers remaining behind to execute the unfortunate gardeners, who ran to Alice for protection.
(L. Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Chapter VIII THE QUEEN'S CROQUET-GROUND).
The composition of Off With Their Heads follows many of John Wesely's early works, often rendered in an Art Deco Poster-Art style with an edge-painted border and vertical lay-out. With Wesley's working method, the subject matter is never one-hundred percent clear, but from the title Off With Their Heads we inextricably infer from our primary schooling that Wesley is referencing Lewis Carroll's beloved and iconic story from Alice in Wonderland (in fact, Wesley painted Alice in the nude several times a year earlier), with the Queen as a mythical Maharaja and Alice's multiple heads floating along the edges. This exploring and twisting of children's stories and fairy tales is a common theme for the artist who depicts scenes of Winnie the Pooh and later, Minnie Mouse and Popeye. Of course, signature to Wesley, the tale is imbued with an underlying eroticism offset by a seemingly innocent and coy motif.
John Wesley's use of serial repetition often draws attention to his close relationships with minimalist artists such as Donald Judd, Dan Flavin, or his ex-wife Jo Baer. However, despite their friendships, Wesley's use of repetition distinctly collages a narrative mixed with emotion and Surrealism, giving his paintings a original twist away from Minimalism and Pop-Art.