Theodore Coulombe and Alan Krathaus:
On the Trail of Gentleman Johnny Burgoyne

In observation of the 225th anniversary of the Battles of Saratoga, a turning point of the American Revolutionary War, Theodore Coulombe and Alan Krathaus present a photographic vision of the Battles of Saratoga. The exhibition features an installation of light boxes and color photographs taken by the artists as they reenacted historical scenes in period costume. The photographs are excerpts from a twenty-nine-image narrative that traces the journey led by British Lieutenant General John Burgoyne (“Gentleman Johnny”) through the Champlain and Saratoga regions during his 1777 campaign against the colonial forces.

Burgoyne led an opulent lifestyle and fancied himself a “playwright-soldier.” During his 1777 campaign in northern New York he traveled with wagons filled with personal luxuries. “In similar fashion,” says Coulombe, “we donned rented British officer uniforms and photographed ourselves in poses reminiscent of eighteenth-century portrait paintings, while retracing the trail of Burgoyne’s army.”

Working in collaboration since 1993, Coulombe and Krathaus share an interest in the more slippery aspects of history, such as documentation, propaganda, and the relationship between the claims of conquest and the actual control of conquered lands. Because much of their work deals with a more dynamic inspection of history, they often begin a project with research into historical events, using factual and fictional sources. On the Trail of Gentleman Johnny Burgoyne is their fifth collaborative project; in earlier works the two have focused on subjects such as polar exploration and early geological surveys of the American West.
Exhibition Name
Theodore Coulombe and Alan Krathaus:
On the Trail of Gentleman Johnny Burgoyne
Exhibition Type
Solo Exhibitions
Place
Dates
Oct 1, 2002 - Dec 1, 2002
Curators
Théodore Coulombe and Alan Krathaus: On the Trail of Gentleman Johnny Burgoyne was organized by Théodore Coulombe and Alan Krathaus in collaboration with Tang Museum Curator Ian Berry.
Artists
Theodore Coulombe, Alan Krathaus
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