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William T. Wiley

(Bedford, Indiana, 1937 - )

Weigh of the Spirit and Flesh

1972

Acrylic on canvas

84 x 111 in. (213.4 x 281.9 cm)

Collection of the Akron Art Museum

Purchased with funds from the National Endowment for the Arts and the John A. McAlonan Trust Fund

1975.15

More Information

Wiley's paintings from the early seventies began as a reaction against the rationalism and seriousness of minimal and abstract art. Inspired instead by surrealist art and popular culture, the works incorporate verbal games, visual puns and whimsical elements and display an irreverent, funky aesthetic. 'Weigh of the Spirit and the Flesh' is a "map," creased like paper that has been folded for many years. If travel is a metaphor for life, where will this map lead you? To treasure or trouble? Will you follow the path of the flesh or the spirit?

Keywords
Map
Text in art
American
Spiritualism
Modern Art
Painting