WILLIAM HUNT DIEDERICH, CIRCA 1920S

Diederich's remarkably delicate work in black paper cutout silhouettes, an essentially 19th century artform, tends to exemplify the contradiction and complexity of much of his art. While fellow modernist sculptors Paul Manship and Elie Edelman considered him a peer, Diederich's interest in types of subject matter and media with quaint or historical references often appeared incongruous with the cool aesthetic of the art of his times. Contemporary critics appreciated this aspect of Diederich's art, one describing him as 'a decorative revolutionist with one foot in the past and the other pointing a toe at the future. It is as an inventive adapter, armed with humor and a well-developed sense of line, that he may be most interesting.' This selection of Diederich's silhouettes demonstrates the wide range of his interests, including matador scenes, a pair of skaters, and mythological Diana, each of which bare the artist's characteristic interest in conveying a sense of movement through simplified and exaggerated forms.