Page 70 - The MoMA/ Guggenheim issue of World of Art magazine (2003)

Artist Profile

STane JagODic

1943 born in celje, slovenia
lives and works in ljubljana, slovenia

It is common knowledge that texts in which authors deal with the
analysis of humor usually lack humor. This is also true of what is perhaps
the best known example, Bergson’s “Essay on Laughter”, in which we meet
with what is undoubtedly valid in Bergson’s essay, as well as with yet another
feature of older works of this kind. Although Bergson claims that humor
is unconscious, and although he compares the logic of absurdity with the
logic of dreams, he reflects on unexpectedness as the precondition of the
ridiculous and the world, which is “Upside down”, etc.; although he is always
treading the border between the conscious and the unconscious, he does not
want to cross it. His starting points are based on the rationalist tradition which
was exploited by the artists used by Bergson as examples. Moliere, the most
rational among comediographers, is closest to him, or Cervantes. After them,
Bergson is mainly interested in the mechanics of boulevard comedy. This is
actually the only form of 19th century humor that his essay acquaints us with.
The humor brought on by the 20th century can hardly be apprehended from
it.
So far, Jagodic has applied satire to “classical art”, particularly in his
photomontages: his technique and the selection of works are significant.
In his early works he, too, dealt with Mona Lisa (thus immediately following
Duchamp’s tradition), but later he frequently remembered another icon of
the High Renaissance, Michelangelo’s David. Now he continues with his texts,
which can best be defined as art epigrams. It is characteristic that he deals
with the entire history of art; to him, not only are individual pieces of art
questionable, but the complete construction. It can be claimed that Jagodic is
introducing an alternative history of art from the aspect of a person who - like
Andersen’s proverbial child - can see without being prejudiced, thus keeping
our knowledge of visual art permanently new and alive.
(Dr LEV MENASE art historian, art critic /“A humorous AlternAtive to the
history of Art” fragment)

clone, 2001 MonTagE 60 x 180 x 20 cM. / 23½ x 71 x 8 in. 
tArget, 1994 MonTagE 34 x 34 cM. / 13½ x 13½ in. 
 crUcifix in the lAb, 1972-1994 MonTagE 34 x 34 cM. / 13½ x 13½ in.

68 WORLD of aRT