A Not Exactly Straight Picture of Emma Lake
1973
William T. Wiley offered his eccentric brand of wisdom—or “Wiz-dumb,” as he called it—in works that are dense with written and visual puns and doubletalk. In this major painting, the artist offers a nonfunctional map of Emma Lake Artists’ Workshops (affiliated with the University of Saskatchewan), where he taught in the summer that it was painted. The work is a window into an insider’s art world locale that in fact offers no insider information.
Oil and graphite on canvas
60 x 120 in. (152.4 x 304.8cm)
Gift of Byron R. Meyer, in honor of the 75th Anniversary of the Seattle Art Museum
2006.131
Photo: Scott Leen
