David Becker Empty Every Night

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David Becker painted a piece in 1998 titled Empty Every Night which depicts life and mortality of the human body. The elements of this image work together to provide a explanation of this piece to the audience. Becker uses specific techniques to show the chaos in human life. The meaning behind this image is not visible at first glance but requires some extra background knowledge. In this essay, I will frame a visual analysis for this piece and discuss how research effected my perception of David Becker and this work. Empty Every Night is an oil on canvas paint that is 62 by 109 inches in size. The piece resides on the wall near John Wilde’s work in the Chazen Museum. The John Wilde paintings are surreal which give the audience an idea that …show more content…

It was for a University of Wisconsin-Madison Archives Oral History Project because David Becker was a Professor in the art Department at UW Madison. After listening to the interview, I learned information about Becker’s life that changed my perceptions of his Empty Every Night Piece. I discovered that he was originally very good at prints. Also, He mentions his students and activities in the interview. He discusses that some of his students he had in his past died of AIDS after being successful in the art world after college. This may have had an impact on Becker’s life and feelings towards death. Furthermore, he often made sexual art and had spoken with someone in psychiatry for five years to try to make sense of his sexual content. Then Becker and the interviewers discuss comparisons to John Wilde’s work and Becker’s work. They both went to Washington High School and they both add a new dimension feel to their works. I understand that Becker’s piece was placed near to John Wilde’s art work for a reason. The two had similar dream like realities for their art and had a similar education.

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