Page 30 - Art-Addiction

staNe JaGodIC

1943 born in celje, slovenia
lives and works in ljubljana, slovenia

It is common knowledge that texts in which authors deal with the analysis of humor usually lack humor.
This is true of what is perhaps the best known example, Henri Bergson’s “essay on Laughter”, in which we
meet with what is undoubtedly valid in Bergson’s essay, as well as with yet another feature of older works of
this kind. Although Bergson claims that humor is unconscious, and although he compares the logic of absurdity
with the logic of dreams, he reflects on unexpectedness as the precondition of the ridiculous and the world,
which he says is, “Upside down”. Although he is continually treading the border between the conscious and
the unconscious, he does not seem to want to cross it. His starting point is based on the rationalist tradition,
which was exploited by the artists that Bergson used as examples. Molière, the most rational among humorists,
is closest to him, along with Miguel de Cervantes. Beyond Molière and Cervantes, Bergson is mainly interested
in the mechanics of ‘boulevard’ comedy and that is actually the only form of 19th century humor that his essay
acquaints us with. 20th century humor can hardly be apprehended from it. stane Jagodic applies satire to
“classical art”, especially in his photomontages, where his technique and the selection of works are most signi-
ficant. In his early work he dealt with Mona Lisa, following duchamp’s tradition, but later he frequently returns
to an icon of the High renaissance, Michelangelo’s david. Currently he is continuing with his texts, which can
best be defined as art epigrams.
Characteristically he deals with the entire history of art. To Jagodic, the complete construction of art, not
just individual pieces, are questionable. It can be claimed that stane Jagodic is introducing an ‘alternative’ his-
tory of art from the aspect of a person who, like Andersen’s proverbial child, can see without being prejudiced
and thus keep our knowledge of visual art permanently new and alive.
(dr LeV MenAse art historian, art critic, “a hUMoroUs alternatiVe to the history oF art” FragMent)

ClONE, 2001 MontAge 60 x 180 x 20 cM. / 23½ x 71 x 8 in. 
TarGET, 1994 MontAge 34 x 34 cM. / 13½ x 13½ in. 
 CrUCIFIx IN THE laB, 1972-1994 MontAge 34 x 34 cM. / 13½ x 13½ in.

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