Untitled (Blue Mouth Blue Eyes Perforated Double Nose Mask M9.b)

Grotjahn is best known for his explorations of the various geometric shapes and angles of the human visage in paintings and drawings, but for some fifteen years he has also assembled masklike, three-dimensional works in his studio from leftover cardboard boxes and discarded toilet-paper tubes. He then casts the forms in bronze, sometimes leaving visible accoutrements from the process, such as the sprues and funnels used to pour the molten metal into the mold. Back in the studio, the artist finishes the sculptures with layers of lusciously painted color, often using his fingers. The results are vibrant hybrids that speak to the fanciful work of children as well as modernist painters and sculptors.