Over eighty years ago, a farm girl fretfully drifted to sleep in the eye of a tornado. Since then, 'The Wizard of Oz' has journeyed across history, meeting new interpretations at every turn. From an allegory for economic reform, to a metaphor for immigration, humanism and even, the feminist plight, Dorothy's quest may hit everyone differently, but it still hits hard.

Today, the modern classic awakes on Philippe Le Miere's canvas. For him, Dorothy's story is about ripping back the curtain, questioning dogma and most strikingly, daring to be wise. Born from walking his own Yellow Brick Road, this work celebrates the myriad of meanings a good story springs. Staring into Le Miere's glistening crystal ball, ask yourself, what do you see in the Great and Powerful Oz?

This work is a pochoir (posh-waar) print. Emerging in late nineteenth-century Paris, pochoir printmaking sees an artist layer and hand-colour each component of their image. Unmechanised, this process gives each edition its own ‘aura’ while also requiring serious time and skill. Indeed, by the 1930s pochoirs had all but died under the rise of more efficient, mechanised printing techniques.

It was master printmaker Jeffrey Makin who first linked Le Miere's experimental process with the forgotten early twentieth-century practice. For Le Miere, working by hand represents a critical counterpoint to his subject matter. Where mainstream cinema is technologically immaculate, Le Miere's work is fluid, textural and deliciously idiosyncratic. Layers of paint disturb a perfect surface, registering like man-made pixels. Once employed by Matisse and Picasso and revived by Le Miere, the pochoir unites art and the artisanal to give each work the feel of an original painting.

Read our interview with artist here. 

View 'Over the Rainbow' swirl as a projection, here. 

Philippe LE MIERE (1975 - )
'classic oz of cinema wizard hollywood movie' 2020
acrylic on paper
Edition of 50
Image Size: 25 x 34 cm
Paper Dimensions: 30 x 42 cm
Framed Dimensions: 50 x 56 x 2 cm
Signed: Signed, titled and editioned in margin.
Comes with Letter of Provenance

Condition is Excellent. 

(C) The Artist or Assignee.