The Trogens

Included in the 1967 Hairy Who? exhibition at the Hyde Park Art Center, The Trogens is a rare and important early example of reverse painting on Plexiglas— a trademark of the movement. First introduced by Jim Nutt and Karl Wirsum, the approach was adopted by Nilsson, but unlike her contemporaries, she did not execute the work from finished drawings; instead she favored an improvised mode of painting. The Trogens exemplifies Nilsson’s penchant for the absurd, utilizing the human figure as exaggerated form. Reflecting her interest in the themes of hidden realities, the work recalls the iconic story of the Trojan horse from Homer’s The Odyssey, suggesting that artifice can belie true meaning and that things are not always as they appear.