Six Lithographs: An Affair in the Islands

A part of the print suite Six Lithographs, this print depicts H. C. Westermann's alter ego with slicked-back hair, tails, and a bright red cummerbund, extending his hand to a startled naked woman, who resembles his wife, Joanna. With giant eyes, she stares back at the sophisticated but possibly ill-intentioned man, as if to underscore her part as the innocent island "primitive." A Death Ship, one of Westermann's most frequently used devices in his sculptures and works on paper, waits on the horizon. The Death Ship, which has its origins in Westermann's searing war experiences in the Pacific during World War II, might suggest that this affair on the islands might be doomed. But Westermann also calls attention to the heightened sexual tension between the couple through details such as the exploding volcano in the distance and the erect, prickly flower in the center foreground.