Nocturne #9
Artist
John O'Reilly
(American, 1930–2021)
Date2007
MediumPolaroid photomontage
Dimensionsimage: 26 × 58 cm (10 1/4 × 22 13/16 in.)
mount: 45 × 76 cm (17 11/16 × 29 15/16 in.)
frame: 47 × 77.5 cm (18 1/2 × 30 1/2 in.)
mount: 45 × 76 cm (17 11/16 × 29 15/16 in.)
frame: 47 × 77.5 cm (18 1/2 × 30 1/2 in.)
ClassificationsCollages / Assemblages
Credit LineChapin Riley Fund at the Greater Worcester Community Foundation
Object number2018.5
Label TextFrom the Latin nocturnus, meaning “of the night,” this montage from O’Reilly’s Nocturne series evokes the same associations as its namesake: death, darkness and quietude. Set before a black background—suggestive of the night sky—an attentive carved owl perches atop emblems of childhood and death. As nocturnal creatures, owls symbolize wisdom and intuition. Describing serene melodies bordering on the melancholy, the term nocturne has been used for musical performances since the 1800s.On View
Not on view
