Fish Parts (#1 and #2)

One day, Taylor retrieved from a trash bin a six-foot-long swordfish replica that had once decorated a bar. He sawed it into five sections and hung them on the wall. The drawings he made of these isolated fish parts, suspended simply with wire and nails, have an unusual poignancy. The fluid handling, especially where the solvent used to fix the toner ran down the lower part of the sheet, gives the impression that the fish has just been pulled out of water and is still dripping.

Al Taylor (1948–1999)
Fish Parts (#1 and #2),
14–15 January 1992
Ink, xerographic toner fixed with solvent, and graphite
The Morgan Library & Museum. Gift of Debbie Taylor in Honor of Isabelle Dervaux; 2019.90a
© 2019 The Estate of Al Taylor