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A Hand-Painted Diptych by Joe Mansfield
Listen to the story
Narrated by Dominic
Two separate canvases bring Eugene Burger and Max Maven into one severe, theatrical gaze. Even the wall between them gets a speaking part.
01
Joe Mansfield painted this diptych as two separate square canvases. Eugene Burger occupies the left panel, recognizable by his round glasses and beard. Max Maven occupies the right, with his closely shaven head, dark eye makeup, and direct stare. Only part of each face is shown. Across the narrow gap, the two halves behave like one divided portrait without pretending that these famously individual thinkers were interchangeable.
The nearly monochrome palette and deep black grounds strip away stage scenery and apparatus. Light falls most strongly across the foreheads and eyes, turning expression into the principal drama. On Maven’s panel, the word ‘BOO’ appears in low-contrast vertical lettering. It is present without becoming a caption, a quiet bit of theatrical mischief at the edge of the composition.
These are original hand-painted canvases by Joe Mansfield, not reproductions.
02
Eugene Burger was an influential close-up magician, teacher, writer, and thinker whose work joined strong technique to careful attention, mystery, and meaning. Max Maven, born Philip Goldstein, was a leading mentalist, author, consultant, and historian admired for both invention and an exacting respect for the record of magic.
Mansfield is both a magician and a visual artist, which matters here. The paintings do not illustrate tricks. They study two faces that helped shape how modern magicians think about performance. These original paintings are available for sale. Ask Poe’s Magic Theatre staff for current availability and contact information for the artist.
“Two distinct voices, held together by one deliberate gap”
Welcome to the Magic Poster Tour at Poe’s Magic Theatre, inside the historic Lord Baltimore Hotel.
This stop features Eugene Burger and Max Maven, a contemporary piece billed as “A Hand-Painted Diptych by Joe Mansfield.”
Joe Mansfield painted this diptych as two separate square canvases. Eugene Burger occupies the left panel, recognizable by his round glasses and beard. Max Maven occupies the right, with his closely shaven head, dark eye makeup, and direct stare. Only part of each face is shown. Across the narrow gap, the two halves behave like one divided portrait without pretending that these famously individual thinkers were interchangeable.
The nearly monochrome palette and deep black grounds strip away stage scenery and apparatus. Light falls most strongly across the foreheads and eyes, turning expression into the principal drama. On Maven’s panel, the word ‘BOO’ appears in low-contrast vertical lettering. It is present without becoming a caption, a quiet bit of theatrical mischief at the edge of the composition.
These are original hand-painted canvases by Joe Mansfield, not reproductions.
Eugene Burger was an influential close-up magician, teacher, writer, and thinker whose work joined strong technique to careful attention, mystery, and meaning. Max Maven, born Philip Goldstein, was a leading mentalist, author, consultant, and historian admired for both invention and an exacting respect for the record of magic.
Mansfield is both a magician and a visual artist, which matters here. The paintings do not illustrate tricks. They study two faces that helped shape how modern magicians think about performance. These original paintings are available for sale. Ask Poe’s Magic Theatre staff for current availability and contact information for the artist.