Speed Inspired: Appeal for Calm

The arts provide the opportunities for inspiration, reflection, and connection needed now more than ever.

The Speed Inspired series invites local actors, creative writers, dancers, musicians, poets, visual artists, and creatives of all kinds to produce an original work in response to artworks from the Speed’s permanent collection. 

Jean Dubuffet
French, 1901 ‑ 1985
Appeal for Calm (Appel au calme), 1962
Gouache on paper
32 × 26 5/16 in. (81.3 × 66.8 cm.)
Bequest from the Nancy Batson Rash and Dillman A. Rash Collection 1998.19.2

FROM THE COLLECTION

Miranda Lash, Curator of Contemporary Art:

Jean Dubuffet’s Appeal for Calm (Appel au Calme) depicts an urban scene that vibrates with color and energy. Having returned to Paris after a multiyear sojourn in the countryside of Vance, Dubuffet created his celebrated “Paris Circus” series (1961-62) which celebrated the energy of the city and the raw, aggressive aesthetic of his Art Brut style. Appeal for Calm captures a dreamlike street where storefront signs advertise both products and abstract concepts such as a “joyous dawn,” “misery,” “uncertainty,” and “wind at a discount.” His shoppers seek gratification in an environment that is anything but serene.

FROM THE COMMUNITY

Chris Mattingly, Louisville-based poet, book-maker, and teacher. VISIT HIS WEBSITE

[WARNING: Explicit language]