Running Man through Four Frames with Persian Script (All is One) at 2,415,911 and 2,677,372

Jonathan Borofsky

1976–80 · Acrylic and ink on paper · Modern and Contemporary Art

Borofsky, who graduated with an MFA from Yale in 1966, is known for his large, figurative public sculptures, immersive installations, and prodigious output of large-scale ink drawings—both on paper and directly on the gallery or museum wall. The drawings are generally sourced from images and situations he encounters in his subconscious while dreaming, and the flurry of ink-work they manifest speaks to the fluidity of his imagination and mental state while drawing. Running men became a recognizable and frequent motif in Borofsky's work in the 1970s, a time when he himself often jogged for excercise. But the runner has darker connotations, as well. As Mark Rosenthal writes in his 1984 monograph on the artist, the running figure also represents the artist's "escape from psychological anxiety." In as much as they might represent personal fitness or progress, they could also signify terror, fear, and escape from conflict, war, or other atrocities.

Artist

Jonathan Borofsky

Date

1976–80

Medium

Acrylic and ink on paper

Department

Modern and Contemporary Art

Credit line

Gift of Lenore Weseley, in memory of Alvin and Jonathan Weseley, 2018