"Heard But Not Seen" Screen

1989–90

Not on view

This screen is from a suite of furniture inspired by the classic German Expressionist horror film "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" (1919); the stark, angular sets created disconcerting warped perspectives, heightening viewers' fears and anxiety (its title is an unsettling play on silent movies, in which characters are seen but not heard). Castle, one of the foremost woodworkers in the post-World War II American studio craft movement, furthers the disorienting, nightmarish quality of this sharply angled, planar screen by offsetting its blue-black painted decoration which evokes the look of the black-and-white film.

Artwork Details

Title: "Heard But Not Seen" Screen
Designer: Wendell Castle (American, Emporia, Kansas 1932–2018 Scottsville, New York)
Date: 1989–90
Medium: Italian poplar, gesso, aniline dye, and acrylic paint
Dimensions: 80 1/2 in. × 8 ft. 11 in. × 24 in. (204.5 × 271.8 × 61 cm)
Classification: Furniture
Credit Line: Gift of Peter T. Joseph, 1998
Object Number: 1998.545a-c
Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art

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