Guardians of the Secret II
Guardians of the Secret II, 1990, glazed stoneware, Plexiglass, steel, wood, mixed media, 86 x 119 x 26 inches.
Guardians of the Secret II, verso.
Guardians of the Secret II, 1990, was Arneson’s deep dive into the work and psyche of Jackson Pollock and of Arneson himself. He often remarked that every portrait he did of another person was also a self-reflection.
Guardians of the Secret, 1943, in the permanent collection of San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, was a regular stop on Arneson’s repeated visits to SFMOMA. He had been looking at and absorbing it for many years when he decided to explore the secret.
Arneson’s freestanding, three-dimensional tableau is a sculptural exploration of the painting and of himself. Revealing the secret as he perceived it and as speculated on in many books that he read about Pollock. His own persona is revealed in the multiple graffiti like scribbles on the central front element and in his interpretation of the “back” of the painting, realized as a three-dimensional sculpture and where many personal images are included.
Arneson looking at Model for ‘Guardians of the Secrets II’ and Working Drawing for ‘Guardians of the Secrets II’ at 430 First Street studio in Benicia, CA, August 18, 1989.
Working Drawing for ‘Guardians of the Secret II,’ 1990, charcoal, oil stick on paper, 84 x 129 inches.
Arneson shaping the base, August 23, 1989.
Arneson looking at (Jackson Pollock p. 115) for reference, August 29, 1989.
Arneson leveling the bases for the totemic figures, September 6, 1989.
Arneson sculpting the totemic figure, September 15, 1989.
Arneson modeling a totemic figure, September 21, 1989.
Arneson molding a totemic figure, October 2, 1989.
Arneson sculpting a head for the totemic figure, October 9, 1989.
Arneson molding the head of the totemic figure, October 28, 1989.
Arneson sculpting a totemic figure, November 4, 1989.
