I managed to make a trip out to the 'At the Edge' exhibit at the Allentown Art Museum this past weekend with my parents, and it was a truly rewarding experience for all of us.
My mother was eager to view her favorites - Arthur Rackham, Don Maitz, Donato Giancola - and my father was absolutely fascinated by the life-like sculptures of Thomas Kuebler, not to mention N. C. Wyeth and Howard Pyle's work.
I walked through with my sketchbook clutched close; doodling, jotting, scrawling.
Observing originals truly does put more into proportion. It reveals the experience of the work’s making, its hand-made qualities, which are all but washed over in digital, published versions. Once something is duplicated the secrets close up, flatten out, and vanish beneath glossy glamour.
So, standing up close to the bristle marks, thumbprints, smudges, smears, remnant graphite, uncovered canvas, and patches of untainted paper, I saw the pieces for all their home-made glory. To be honest, it was just what I needed to aid in my preparation for going back to ‘Brigit’ Spring.
(More to come on that shortly).
Here is a link to a post by Matthew Innis reviewing the show and the work that produced it.
Underpaintings: 'At the Edge' by Matthew D. Innis
There is also an interesting post by John Jude Palencar about the exhibit on the 'Muddy Colors: An Illustration Collective' blog. Different imagery is shared with a brief historical commentary.
At the Edge: Art of the Fantastic Exhibition by John Jude Palencar
My mother was eager to view her favorites - Arthur Rackham, Don Maitz, Donato Giancola - and my father was absolutely fascinated by the life-like sculptures of Thomas Kuebler, not to mention N. C. Wyeth and Howard Pyle's work.
I walked through with my sketchbook clutched close; doodling, jotting, scrawling.
Observing originals truly does put more into proportion. It reveals the experience of the work’s making, its hand-made qualities, which are all but washed over in digital, published versions. Once something is duplicated the secrets close up, flatten out, and vanish beneath glossy glamour.
So, standing up close to the bristle marks, thumbprints, smudges, smears, remnant graphite, uncovered canvas, and patches of untainted paper, I saw the pieces for all their home-made glory. To be honest, it was just what I needed to aid in my preparation for going back to ‘Brigit’ Spring.
(More to come on that shortly).
Here is a link to a post by Matthew Innis reviewing the show and the work that produced it.
Underpaintings: 'At the Edge' by Matthew D. Innis
There is also an interesting post by John Jude Palencar about the exhibit on the 'Muddy Colors: An Illustration Collective' blog. Different imagery is shared with a brief historical commentary.
At the Edge: Art of the Fantastic Exhibition by John Jude Palencar
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| Allentown Art Museum of the Lehigh Valley, featuring 'At the Edge: Art of the Fantastic'. 2012. |
