Beaux Arts xLVIII Members' Show - November 2009
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Photos to follow soon on this website.Best of Show - #10 - Mary Schimpff Webb, “Marriage of Metals Box”This piece celebrates the pleasure of the imperfect, bringing to mind the Japanese concept of “wabi sabi”, and resonates with the Zen of meditative simplicity. The combination of the silver and the copper - the “marriage” of the metals - relates in harmony to the organic, cellular nature of the coral. Expertly done, a piece that exists effectively in its own space and is worthy of contemplation.
First Place - #44 - Rose Ann Samuelson, “Cabaret/Holocaust”The confrontational aspect of the almost life-sized figures invokes a sense of voyeurism - we look, we look away, and then we have to look again. There is raw detail - tattoos, bruises, lots of hair, the Star of David, and hidden aspects that we don’t want to miss. A powerful commentary of a crossroads of culture regarding bohemian cabaret society, the rise of the Third Reich, and the faith of the Jewish people soon to be attacked by the Holocaust.
Second Place - #33 - Els Meijns, “One Son”This sensitively modeled portrait shows clear evidence of the artist’s hand in the modeling of the features in clay, before being transferred to bronze. The artist skillfully used textures to effectively evoke the features of the fabric, hair and skin. A strong, robust piece that expresses a personality.
Third Place - #61 - Antoinette M. Slick - “Emergence II”An intricate combination of graphics and paint, with layers of brushwork creating a skin like cloak of paint that seems to split open and bruise allowing graphic elements to reveal themselves to us as they “emerge” from behind and from within the experience of paint.
Achievement - #6 - Peter Cerreta , “The Emissaries”This luminous painting explores the contrast between the accusatory pointing figure and the relaxed confidence of the nude woman. The pointing hand and the figure in the dark burkha lead us to the reclining nude. The artist draws us into the narrative with with mysterious elements like the harlequin collar on the nude, and the objects in the bowl, and makes us wonder if the piece is speaking to the difference in attitudes about the body between Islam and Western philosophies. Achievement - #24 - Susan Bottaro, “Monkey on Her Back”This work is a real conversation starter and exists on several different levels, depicting the accoutrement of multiple vices, a self-portrait, and a daring narrative of a horrific story. The figure and especially the hands are well rendered. The artist is courageous to confront us with the serious themes of honest self-reflection and the pathos of self-destruction.
Merit - #30 - Toelle Hovan, “Good Luck Bamboo”A lyrical representation within the still life genre, executed with skilled drawing, modeling, shading, and texture. The tips of the leaves are handled with acute observation with their over-and-under patterns of dark and light creating rhythmic lines.
Merit - #16 - Don Kennedy, “Pelicans at the Crooked Dock”This watercolor painting features a thoughtful layout evoking strong design and effective placement of elements. The artist skillfully handles division of space, and in establishing rhythms of color and shape throughout the composition.
Honorable Mention - #40 - Jon Miller, “Salt Life”In this sensuous, fun, and humorous piece, the artist utilizes rich luminous color to accentuate the frivolity and zaniness of its animated characters. He has used his paint to effectively model details that matter in telling this wild fish story. The roundness and fullness of the figures absorbed in colorful sunlight become pop eye candy character puppets ready for the big screen, certainly three dimensional.
Honorable Mention - #51 - Jean Banas, “On the Move”The artist has dared to paint and then let us see the result of expressive action . Including, large, flat areas of the color pink accented by strokes of yellow, slashes of orange, and moments of white. The strong underlying structure anchors the success of this painting.
Harry Messersmith 10-31-09 |