The Joker 2008

Greg Hildebrandt made this artwork in July 2008, in what appears to be mixed media including gouache on black paper. The image is made by applying opaque layers of pigment, each contributing to the overall image, much like the many writers and illustrators that have contributed to the mythology of the Joker. This image is an intervention into a complex, ongoing history, and has its own material presence as an object. It’s not just an image; it’s something to be handled, traded, perhaps even commodified. The image may be reproduced, but the hand-made quality of the original remains unique. In that respect, Hildebrandt's image may be a commentary on our contemporary world and how we reproduce images ad infinitum. This piece reminds us that the tradition of craft and fine art has a place in our digitalized society, in which the artist's hand can still make a singular statement.