On View in Milwaukee
Douglas Hyslop
Seeing Through
Past Exhibition
December 19–March 16
MOWA on the Lake
About the Exhibition
This exhibition is open to the public at MOWA on the Lake, located inside the retirement campus of Saint John’s On The Lake in downtown Milwaukee. Learn more
Opening Party | December 19
5:00–7:00
Exploring themes of love and loss, fatherhood, and the existential, Douglas Hyslop’s work examines the human experience through narrative and symbology. With a background in philosophy and a keen knowledge of performance history and Shakespearean theater, Hyslop is interested in the larger ethical lessons of human behavior. It should be no surprise, therefore, that he has chosen to paint historically misunderstood subjects—clowns, harlequins, and jesters. Hyslop views clowns as truth-tellers; in Shakespearean plays, the king often trusts only his jester to tell the truth. Another subject—the blind harlequin—has a similar purpose; although sometimes a trickster, he is better able to “see” the truth because of his impairment.
As a part of his ideological query, Hyslop also experiments with perception in his paintings. Some of his figures and objects appear transparent, meaning that more than one image occupies the same two-dimensional space at the same time. He also uses mirror reflection where the same figure is multiplied or seen from various angles at once. In showing all views simultaneously, Hyslop emphasizes that all pieces are equally important—there are no subordinate characters in these compositions. The ultimate objective is to provide a sense of humanity for the figures and to suggest a dignified presence and meaningful relationship between figures and objects. Hyslop is a bit of a trickster himself. By creating a clown world that is not funny, he invites us to see beyond the obvious and instead look for a deeper truth—of understanding, sensitivity, and empathy for others.
Image: Douglas Hyslop, Blind Cantor 3, 2023