Extra Credit #2- MOMA Quay Brothers Exibit

The Quay brothers definitely produce art of the German Expressionism era. The first display in the exhibit is a set from their short film, Street of Crocodiles. On the description it told the viewers that films such as The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari greatly influenced the Quay brothers' work. Right away I had the feeling that their art would resemble the art of Tim Burton. The creepy feel of the set, along with the film itself, is very dark and eerie. Their use of dark and light and shadows create an ominous feeling to their work not just in the film, but in a lot of their drawings as well. Their beginning work consists of drawings of landscapes and their images of people come in twos. This resembles the fact that the brothers are twins. Doubling their images within a single piece of art is present in a lot of their drawings. They also make the people in their drawings, puppets, etc very abstract, missing limbs, and/or disproportionate. They also have a very erotic feel to them having sexual parts exposed at times. They are also known for being surrealists. Due to their style, animation fit them very well. With animation they can have their characters be whoever they want them to be. In Street of Crocodiles the main character encounters characters which look like doll heads and arms on a box. They have no eyes or teeth and are lit from inside the eyes and mouth. These are extremely creative and strange characters. A lot of their work, because of the unique make-up, can bring upon a disturbing feeling. One thing I found very interesting was a set in box that seemed uneasy on the eyes unless it is viewed from a specific angle. It contained a magnifying glass that the viewer can look through and inside it looked normal. If you like German Expressionism and filmmakers and artists like Tim Burton you will definitely enjoy this exhibit. As a horror lover I definitely did!