Dressed and Undressed

Currently on display at Sperone Westwater, located down the historic Bowery, is William Wegman’s Dressed and Undressed, a showing of his life’s work involving his faithful muses. Scattered across floors two and three of the gallery, against white walls accented by tall ceilings, hang over a dozen photographs of Weimaraner dogs. The 20” by 24” Polaroids are several feet above the old wooden floorboards, eyelevel with the viewer which adds to the intimate environment of the small gallery space. Upon entering the third-floor portion of the gallery there’s a small alcove cut out for an office space which features a Wegman piece on the far wall. The photographs, spanning across three decades, have enough breathing room in between each other to be able to take them in separately and then finally as a complete set.

The dogs of Dressed and Undressed are featured in a variety of poses and outfits, some al natural while others sport dresses, hats, stilettos and even wigs. The fabric they’re clothed in ranges from wrinkled chiffon to blue button-down shirts while the wigs were of two varieties – straight blonde and curly brunette. One such photo breaks the pattern of brown Weimaraners however, a white seemingly porcelain dog with black ears and a black color, staring lifelessly into the distance beside a photograph of another one of Wegman’s adolescent puppies. Every one of Wegman’s colored Polaroids is signed and dated at the bottom, giving us evidence and context of the timeframe while still transcending decades. The frayed edges of the gigantic Polaroids remind us of a time before digital photography was introduced despite some pieces being taken as recent as 2007.

Parcheesi stood out in an abstract way among the many Polaroids. While most of the other portraits of pups feature them in front of brown backgrounds, this 1998-piece features vertical blue, red, and yellow strips. In front of the strips are the furry hindlegs of two Weimaraners which touch at their joints. Against the almost blurry background of colors the brown fur seems vibrant and soft while still maintaining sharp detail that instant Potoroids aren’t normally known for. The symmetry in the piece Parcheesi highlights the dynamic shapes – and the red wine glass – that are created with the composition of said photograph. The dog’s legs in the background create almost a shadow that also adds a sense of depth to the otherwise flat imagery. The general feel of the gallery is upbeat and silly with sprinkles of reality which serves as an overall reflection of the human spirit. But Parcheesi breaks that pattern of photographs with one that stands out as a geometric study that playfully manipulates the viewers eyes.