GERYON
Bruce Conner American
Not on view
As a group, the state proofs for GERYON reveal Conner's process of refining an image of a character from Dante’s Inferno. In the epic poem, Geryon is a demon whose radiant, jewel-encrusted form disguises his reptilian body, symbolic of his deceitful nature. The state proofs provide insight into Conner’s gradual obscuring of the figure’s wings, which are visible in early states, and the emphasis he later placed on the black background, which amplifies the subject’s luminosity.