Module 11: Art Gallery Visit #2

I am sorry about the formatting on this post, I can't seem to get everything to line up!

Step 1: The Exhibition

Questions about the exhibit:
1. What is the title of the exhibit?

I went to The Burchfield Penney to see Jonathan Rogers' The Complexity of Life. 

2. What is the theme of the exhibition?

The theme of The Complexity of Life is a personal representation of Jonathan Rogers' life. It focuses on his upbringing, religion, and moments of struggle, reinvention and faith.

Step 2: The Gallery

Questions about the physical space:
1. What type of lighting is used?

The type of lighting that is used is spotlight. The lights are affixed directly on the paintings to illuminate them.

2. What colors are used on the walls?

The color on the walls is dark grey. The dark grey contrasts with the white ceiling and light wood floors. The dark grey also helps to convey the overall darker tone in Rogers' works. 

3. What materials are used in the interior architecture of the space?

The interior architecture of the space is mostly open, framed by walls. However, there is one triangular-shaped wall in the center, which breaks up the space to display additional paintings. The artists's statement is also displayed within a glass case.

4. How is the movement of the viewer through the gallery space?

The gallery entices you to start moving around the space by turning left when you walk in. It encourages you to walk around the space along the walls, stopping at the artist's statement and again at the center wall that breaks up the gallery. The show is arranged in a series-style, so this movement makes sense.

Step 3: The Artwork

Questions about the artwork:

1. How are the artworks organized?

The artworks are organized in a linear, series-style. They appear to tell a story.

2. How are the artrworks similar?

The artworks are all similar, as they are all painted in an illustration, non-realistic style, with the exception of a couple of works, which are more realistic in style, along with a few drawings on the end wall. They mostly all 
have bright, vibrant colors, contrasted with dark undertones in theme.

3. How are the artworks different?

The artworks have a different subject matter within each painting, yet they are all familiar. Each painting  portrays 
a different part of the story.

4. How are the artworks framed?

Only one artwork is framed, the remaining works are on stretched canvas without frames. 

5. How are the artworks identified and labeled?

Each artwork is identified by a small card next to it. It is labeled with the Artist name, the title of the work, the 
date of completion, the medium, what it was made on, and who donated the work.

6. What is the proximity of the artwork to each other?

 Each painting is 1-2 feet from the other.

Step 4: Art Criticism Exercise

Select three of the artworks from the show and use the Art Criticism worksheet to desribe, analyze, bracket and interpret the work using the 5-step Art Criticism Process described. (see the sheet in the module folder)

Take pictures of the images you are interpreting. If this is not allowed, make quick sketches of the pieces.

Jonathan Rogers

The Deliverance from The Visions of Faith Series, 2000

Oil on canvas with wood frame, size not available

1. Be receptive - Keep an open mind.  Look for what is good.  No put-downs allowed.

2. Description – Describe what you see.  (subject matter)? The painting features two large hands, presumably of a man on the bottom left hand side. To the upper right, there is a small cherub-type figure that appears to be flying away, or being released from the hands on the lower left. The two subjects are encapsulated within the sky, on top of stormy, billowy clouds that give way to a small amount of light and blue sky in the distance, which is where the cherub is flying towards. This light highlights the hands.

3. Formal analysis – (form)  What principles and elements were used and how are they used? The painting focuses much on texture and repetition through the clouds. The organic shapes of the clouds repeat throughout the work, moving your eye first toward the hands, and again toward the cherub. The painting also relies heavily on contrast of values and color to do this; the hands are positioned within the dark portion of the storm clouds, yet, they give way to bright light in a warm, yellowish hue, and again, breaking to a contrast of blue sky. This brings the eye to the focal point where the cherub is flying towards. The painting also relies on balance, or imbalance. The hands are large in proportion to the cherub, yet this imbalance is what brings the eye up to the flying child, showing the viewer that he or she is there, and also bringing the focal point to where the cherub is going.

4.  Bracketing - Is there anything in or about this work that reminds you of anything else? Do you see any symbols, metaphors, or allegories?  (iconography) The painting has a religious overtone and is reminiscent of Renaissance painting. Specifically, Michaelangelo's frescoes on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. The hands are reminiscent of the hands of God, and the child flying represents an angel, cherub or Putti within this style of painting. The child appears to be released from the hands of god and heading to heaven, or a calmer, brighter place.

5.  Interpretation - (content)  What do you think the artist was trying to say? It seems Jonathan Rogers is commenting on religion and the affect it has had on his life. The entire show has religious undertones, yet, the viewer is not really sure where the artist stands in regard to his current beliefs. This painting, specifically, seems as though he is trying to convey that religion was holding him back. Once he separated himself from this, he was in a better place.

Jonathan Rogers

Everybody Dance from The Little Dancer Series, 1990-2006

Oil on canvas, size not available

1. Be receptive - Keep an open mind.  Look for what is good.  No put-downs allowed.

2. Description – Describe what you see.  (subject matter)? The painting features a circle of children and animals dancing joyously in a circle. They are surrounded by what appears to be a forest of wooden crosses, looming above them, under a bright blue, clear sky. To the bottom left of the painting is a grey figure in darkened silhouette, only seen from behind, watching the group.

3. Formal analysis – (form)  What principles and elements were used and how are they used? The painting focuses on shape, line and emphasis. The children and animals create movement while they are dancing, which contrasts starkly against the linear crosses that loom above them. The lines of the crosses draw the eye down to the children, and back up to the sky, creating movement within the eye also. The children appear to be dancing on white snow, which again, causes contrast and emphasis against their forms, the crosses, and the darkened silhouetted figure toward the bottom left of the image.

4.  Bracketing - Is there anything in or about this work that reminds you of anything else? Do you see any symbols, metaphors, or allegories?  (iconography) This work is painted in a more illustrative, cartoon-type style. Again, the artist brings in religious undertones, which in this case, are very apparent through the 'forest' of crosses in which the children and animals dance. The dark figure on the bottom left of the painting watches the celebration, yet is presented in the shadows as a dark figure in the form of a person, but it is clear that the figure is not a person at all, but perhaps a spirit or the unconscious of the children.

5.  Interpretation - (content)  What do you think the artist was trying to say? It seems Jonathan Rogers is commenting on how religion can affect childhood. The children and animals are all dancing joyously, yet, all around them looms symbols of religion and a dark figure which seems to foreshadow something dark. Perhaps the dark figure represents adulthood and the way in which Rogers grew up affected him into his later years.

Jonathan Rogers

Self Portrait from The Portrait Series, 2007

Oil on canvas, size not available

1. Be receptive - Keep an open mind.  Look for what is good.  No put-downs allowed.

2. Description – Describe what you see.  (subject matter)? The painting is of an older man with no hair and a white beard. He wears a dark colored tank top, a black belt, and jeans. His pose is quite informal, as he leans back on his left foot. He appears to be laughing, bearing his teeth while he does so. He holds a paintbrush in his right hand, almost showing it off to the viewer. His left hand lays relaxed at his side. He is positioned in the center of the painting, against a background of warm hues.

3. Formal analysis – (form)  What principles and elements were used and how are they used? This painting relies on contrast, form and value. Value creates the form of the man. He is lit dramatically on his face, and the value creates the planes along his face which emphasize his form. His clothing is dark in value which contrast against his skin and the light background. His clothing is also in a cool, dark hue, which also contrast against the warm tone of his skin, and the warm colored, light background. His form itself also contrasts against the barren background.

4.  Bracketing - Is there anything in or about this work that reminds you of anything else? Do you see any symbols, metaphors, or allegories?  (iconography) The painting is reminiscent of all fine art portraits, however, contrasts them as well. It contrasts formal portraits in its informality. The subject is relaxed, smiling, and waving his paint brush. He stands in front of a bare wall, as opposed to a busy background. It only focuses on him, and his presumable love of painting.

5.  Interpretation - (content)  What do you think the artist was trying to say? This portrait seems Rogers is commenting on himself as an adult, and perhaps how he made it through his childhood. This portrait is displayed on a stand-alone wall, on the opposite side of The Deliverance. Perhaps this was intentional; the remaining paintings in the Little Dancer Series that surround these two paintings tell a story and are arranged in a series. However, these two paintings stand apart, and it seems Rogers is trying to convey that despite his upbringing and struggle to accept religion in his life, he has finally found his way.

Step 5: Document Your Visit

4. Answer this question:What did you think of visiting the Gallery and purposefully looking at the exhibition from a different perspective - the physical space, the architecture, theme, etc.?

I loved it! I thought it was a really fun exercise. It made me stop, look, and think. I am used to just casually walking around exhibits, reading the cards, and moving along. However, this forced me to take in the entire show, and look at minute details that I normally wouldn't notice. I think it will definitely influence how I attend exhibits in the future.