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Drawing E. obsoleta
Drawing E. obsoleta
© Jeff Whetstone. Still courtesy of the artist and Julie Saul Gallery, New York.

Drawing E. obsoleta

Artist (Born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, 1968)
Date2011
Medium16mm film transferred to HD video (black and white, silent)
Dimensions8:34 minutes
ClassificationsVideo
Credit LineMuseum purchase with funds provided by Jennifer McCracken New (A.B.’90, J.D.’94) and Jason G. New (J.D.’94), in honor of Trevor Schoonmaker and Prospect.4
Object number2018.5.3
Collections
  • PHOTOGRAPHY
  • ART OF THE UNITED STATES
  • MODERN & CONTEMPORARY
Edition7
State3
Label TextJeff Whetstone’s video, Drawing E. obsoleta, addresses humans’ relationship to nature and their desire to manipulate it. He places a black rat snake (Latin name E. obsoleta), common in southeastern states, in a white container and attempts to draw with its dark form, prodding and moving it with a stick. The video, shot in black and white directly above the container, presents the scene from Whetstone’s point of view, emphasizing the centuries-old role of artists controlling representations of nature. The snake’s inability to obey Whetstone’s directions for the impossible drawing reveal the uselessness of the endeavor, as well as the often impractical human urge to dominate the environment.