Charlene Von Heyl

Abstraction can provide meaning through color, composition, and markmaking. I can see an element of poetry in this exhibition, each piece has a rhythm and flow to it. The scale and interaction of the marks create a story. This artist likes to juxtapose colors fading into one another like clouds with spots of bright color and solid almost ruler like shapes. There seems to be optimism in her work, like something is breaking out from its grey barren world and expressing itself. It looks as if someone is breaking out from a crowd and becoming an individual. From this artist, I get a question of who do you want to be and can you become an individual. It seems to be about breaking out from the mold and becoming the person that you were meant to become. She seems to try to express the different emotions of humans, silly, serious, angry, quiet, loud, goofy, etc. in different paintings to try to make people understand that it is ok to be your true self whatever that might be. I think that meaning is dependent on the person who is looking at the work. My background and how I am feeling the day I view the work taints it. Realistic art has a way of making the person reflect on the artist's view of a subject. Whereas, abstract art offers introspection. The fact that everything is not told to you gives a way for the artist to ask a question and for the viewer to reflect on that. It also has the ability to always be current. Seeing a piece on one day in one state of mind and on another day will give you totally different ideas about the work and about yourself.

here and now exhibition

The markmaking in this gallery was interesting. I really liked the ones that were all about markmaking, not including photographs or drawing. I felt that the ones that included photography were not integrated well. They did not add anything additional to the pieces and seemed only to lie on top of an already existing piece of art. I felt this way about the calligraphy style marks on top of the photographs. The calligraphy was really strong on its own and when combined with the photographs, it made a weak piece. The work that was the strongest for me were the pieces that created a new meaning by incorporating the markmaking and it seemed like one could not live without the other. The piece that used different color marks like plants, fish, and birds to create a landscape felt like a full piece. Also the work that used hair-like lines to create food. Those pieces took on a different meaning through the markmaking.

Abstract painting

            Ryan McGinness’ print and painting of deconstructed corporate logos attracted my attention at the gallery. The painting uses very brightly colored parts and pieces of logos combined and placed over each other. The logos are still recognizable, but they are also a piece of abstract art once deconstructed and combined. The piece gives off a graffiti type of look when first viewed. The canvas is completely covered with the logos giving the viewer no clear place to start or enter the piece. The viewer has to see the piece as a whole, trying to take it all in and understand it at once, which is very overwhelming. It still retains a sense of joy and cooperation as if the logos choose to be there working in harmony. It doesn’t come off as an attack on the companies, corporate America, or capitalism. Instead, it seems to pose an innocent question. Is there room for art in corporations and corporations in art? It seems to ask if there can be a balance between the two where one doesn’t try to completely take over the other. There is a beauty in corporate logos, which is evident from the deconstructed parts and pieces of these logos. They are a piece of art in everyday life. They also present a problem because they carry the weight of the company that they represent, so they are often not seen as a piece of art, but rather a spokesperson. The painting brings out the beauty of the logos while taking them away from their initial context. In this work, they are not competing for the attention of the viewer, but are there as a group with a single message, something that logos were meant to do from the beginning. The piece makes the viewer think about the world of consumerism and how they are affected by it, but not in the usual negative light. However it does make the viewer think about what companies are doing for them and what they do for companies and is it an equal experience. Are we being helped or hurt by all these companies that exist and what can we do about it? The way the artist has let this come from inside the painting to inside the viewer is very effective.  

homework one: 5 blind contour drawings of a sneaker

Homework #1: 5 Blind contour drawings of a sneaker