1. The exhibit I chose for this was Rosalyn Drexler: Who Does She Think She Is?
2. The theme of the exhibit was the body of work by the artist Rosalyn Drexler. Her body of work is large & varied: she has painted, wrote, done theater - even wrestled at one point! The exhibit was mostly a showcase of her paintings, which focus on love & violence between men & women. The author has a very feminist viewpoint that shows clearly in the works as a whole. Additionally, some of her writings were featured under glass in the exhibit.
The Gallery
1. The lighting of the exhibit didn't appear to be special - there were no colors used, the lights were not particularly dim or bright or focused on anything specific.
2. The walls were mostly white, however there were temporary walls constructed in a couple of the rooms of the exhibition which were painted bright, intense colors that matched the way the artist herself used color. In combination with the white building walls, this gave the exhibit more of a Pop art/1960s look and complimented the style of the artists' paintings.
3. The interior architecture of the space is varied. The main structure of the gallery is simplistic and of an older style. There are a few pieces of intricate molding, and the ceilings are somewhat high, but other than that, the gallery is very simplistic. The rest of the architecture consists of the few constructed walls in a couple of the gallery rooms. These are simplistic rectangular structures, painted bright colors and highlighting a particular painting and/or the theme of the works in that room. I would assume all the materials of the architecture are plaster or drywall, but they didn't want us touching anything. Also, there were glass-enclosed tables against some of the walls showcasing the artist as a writer, though much of it wasn't meant for us to actually read.
4. The movement of the viewer through the gallery space is very free and open. There are a couple of big rooms with artwork posted every few feet, and there are smaller rooms set up much the same way. One of the smaller rooms connecting to the larger gallery spaces was meant for viewing a video related to the exhibit, but it was not set up to be the first thing you encounter before seeing the rest of the exhibit. It's very obvious that the exhibit was set up to be self-guided; the viewer should look at what they want, when they want and not be directed about.
The Artwork
1. I don't feel like the artworks were organized in any particular fashion - though I do believe that they chose a specific theme of the artists work because she is very prolific in a variety of ways. The artworks chosen were all portraying the relationships between men and women (with very, very few exceptions); sometimes hopeful or loving, sometimes violent.
2. As mentioned above, the artworks were all connected by theme, among other things. They were all about the varying relationships between men & women. Additionally, as someone educated on feminism & having read feminist literature, those viewpoints come through very strongly in many of the paintings in the exhibit. The actual artistic style employed by Drexler is very obvious in all of the works in the exhibit as well; it's very Pop art, with lots of bright colors and negative space. The forms are bright and easily identifiable, though not particularly sharply defined - they could easily blend into the background. One last similarity: she is a multi-media artist. Drexler's works are usually some blend of collage and acrylic paint on canvas.
3. The artworks are different individually, generally by emotion/mood. Violence is a common theme, but sometimes is is anger being portrayed, while other times it is less personal/more objective. Not all of her artwork is violent. Love is shown, contentment as well. Some works I felt had a air of cynicism, others seemed like a portrayal of disinterest.
4. The artworks were framed in such a way as to make them look not-framed. The frame did not extend past the work, and only served to hold it away from the wall. This allowed the Pop art aspect to be more highlighted/enhanced, as the bright splashes of paintings on the white walls was more stark with a lack of framing.
5. The artworks are identified with plaques showing the title, date, material, and credit either to the right or the left of the artwork (it changed.)
6. The works of art are spaced roughly equidistantly throughout the gallery. There appeared to be no special, close groupings of any work. The works are not so far apart as to stand out very much. The exception of this are the works hanging on the couple of temporary walls - each wall generally has only one painting hanging on it, setting a "theme" of the room - pictures particularly showing gangsters verses general, less-themed paintings.
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| Rosalyn Drexler Chain Smoker Acrylic & paper collage on canvas 1960 [my picture] |
Description - I see the form of a woman in fur and a blue hat smoking on a red background. Elements of her attire blend in with the background
Formal Analysis - Space is utilized in this painting; the figure is positioned in the lower left of the canvas & the rest of the composition is blank. This utilization is combined with the Color element; the red of the background is intense & blends with the figure. Texture is also employed in this painting; the clothes of the figure are constructed to convey the texture of fur. I suppose motion could be an principle in play here; what we can see of her lower body appears to be suggesting walking, as one leg seems outlined as being in front of the other one.
Bracketing - This artwork reminds me of the sophisticated ladies of LA or NYC in the 1960s. She looks like she might be a model of some sort, or an actress on the way to an audition. Smoking makes her seem more sophisticated & glamorous, rooted in portrayals of Silver Screen Starlets like Marilyn Monroe.
Interpretation - I interpret this painting to be about the emotion of smoking. The figure in the painting seems to be in transit, on the way somewhere. Generally, there is a level of stress being dealt with when rushing off to meetings, appointments, or jobs. The stress seems to pulsate in the red around the woman, and is both feeding and being fed by the cigarette she is smoking. Smoking raises heart rates & stimulates the brain, yet many smokers describe the calming effects of the behavior. I think stress, motion, and smoking intertwining is the message of this particular painting
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| Rosalyn Drexler Self-Defense Acrylic & paper collage on canvas 1963 [my photo] |
Description - The painting features two figures engaged in a struggle. The figure on top is a woman, blonde, with her breasts nearly hanging out of her open dress. She is wielding a weapon, and is struggling with an African-American man against a dark blue background.
Formal Analysis - Unity is a principle much more evident in this painting. If you took the two figures separately, the painting wouldn't make much sense; it requires the two figures together to convey its message. I believe value was used here as well, though less as a gradient for shadow and more for a value in skin tone - dark opposed to light. This may also apply to contrast. Movement is more evident in this painting than the one before, as the figures are actively engaged in a struggle and are placed in a dynamic diagonal fashion. Color, as with the painting before, is very prominent and very intense.
Bracketing - This art piece could be a scene from a movie. It's very highly stylized and the intense colors remind me of intense filmmaking. This scene would be drawn out in some way, but no matter how it ended it would be very dramatic.
Interpretation - This works meaning is very straightforward. Titled as Self-Defense, it seems to be portraying a woman defending herself from an attacker of some sort. Her dress being open the way it is seems to be implying that the crime was a rape. As both a feminist and a survivor of sexual assault, I can feel the anger coming from the woman defending herself. However, I am still left with a couple of questions. The use of color doesn't seem to suggest anger; in fact, the use of blue is more calming. Yet it could signify something simpler like darkness, putting the occurrence in a dark place or at a dark time of day - the background is just simple color so setting is left to the viewer. Additionally, I wonder if the racial differences mean anything significant - this was painted around the time of the intense racial struggles of the 1960s and while I cannot see a message from this standpoint, it doesn't mean that there isn't one.
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| Rosalyn Drexler Cigarette Smoking May be Hazardous to Your Health Acrylic & paper collage on canvas 1967 [my photo] |
Description - the painting had two figures - two heads, one male/one female, both of whom are smoking cigarettes. The figures are in shades of orange upon a darker background
Format Analysis - This particular piece seems very balanced to me, with where the figures are positioned especially (one in the upper left, one in the lower right). Additionally, there is unity in the photo, shown by the figures doing the same act. I feel like color was not used to convey emotion in this, but for emphasis. The figures are lighter colored than the background, emphasizing them, but the cigarettes are even more prominent (white against the dark), drawing even more focus to them.
Bracketing - This piece feels like it could be from a cigarette ad in a newspaper. It's more flat than the other two works, and it doesn't feel like there's any motion from the figures.
Interpretation - I feel like this was one of Drexler's works that tried to convey a very disinterested or cynical version of the world. It's almost as if the figures in the work don't care about the warning in the title. That cigarette smoking, however hazardous it might be, still evokes feelings in the figures, shown by the colors radiating in them. The figures seem warm, as if smoking is a comfort in a dark & cold world.
The other pictures I took while there can be found in this Photobucket album: http://s350.photobucket.com/user/amynewt87/library/Art%20Gallery
I always enjoy visiting the gallery, and it was interesting to contemplate the space used for paintings (not just sculpture, which I am more aware of when I view.) But it didn't particularly enhance or change the way I go and view artwork.
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