False Bacchus--Christ Blessing America to an Orgy of Self-Indulgence

Since at least the Renaissance, the quotation of works of art has gone hand-in-hand with the development of printmaking. The multiplicity, economy, and transportability of prints quickly established them as the principal means of circulating information about other works of art, often determining artistic influence and shaping stylistic development. In False Bacchus, Eric Avery manipulates Caravaggio's Supper at Emmaus and Bacchus. Through a complex procedure, he generates a print that not only refers to the work of the Baroque painter, but embellishes upon the long tradition of bacchanalian imagery and updates its satirical component.