ROBERT STANLEY Untitled (Passion in a Cold Climate).
Color screenprint on Plexiglas, 1968. 532x925 mm; 21x36 inches.
During the 1960s, Robert "Bob" Stanley (1932-1997) adopted the practice of the leading Pop artists and based his paintings on photographs and images he found in advertisements, magazines, and other printed media, favoring sports and music. In 1965, Stanley gained acclaim for his screenprinted portrait series of contemporary musicians, using appropriated photographs and choosing only two colored inks. Stanley was commissioned to design the cover for the May 29, 1967, issue of Sports Illustrated magazine commemorating the Indianapolis 500. The issue included Stanley's impression of the race and reproductions of his paintings of IndyCars done in his signature style. The following year, Stanley was commissioned again by the magazine, this time to cover ice hockey. Dissatisfied with the series of paintings he produced from his snapshots, Stanley discarded the canvases and instead projected his film transparencies onto Plexiglas. In the article, "Passion in a Cold Climate," which appeared in the December 16, 1968, issue with photographs of four of Stanley's Plexiglas works, the artist shares his thoughtful observances of the match, "They are fighting for the puck, but really fighting each other... The mask of the goalkeeper, hiding his expression, always reminds me of a death mask."
