New art exhibition showcases three and two dimensions
By Abby Adragna, Editor-In-Chief
The juried exhibition Interpretations of the Figure is now open at the University of Indianapolis in the Christel DeHaan Fine Arts Center Art Gallery. The exhibition includes six three-dimensional works and 21 two-dimensional pieces that all center on the human figure.
According to the UIndy Arts Web site, this is the third time the university has hosted the exhibition, which was created by figurative painter and Associate Professor of Art and Design Jim Viewegh.
“I thought it would be interesting to do an exhibition that would explore the different ways artists interpret the same thing,” Viewegh said. “We were trying to make it a biannual event, but I was on sabbatical last year.”
Faculty in the Department of Art and Design juried the exhibition, which was open to artists in Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky and Illinois.
“What you see in there [the gallery] is only a fraction of what was sent in. We look at the pieces and decide which ones we think are the most successful and most interesting pieces and then ask the artists to send those in,” Viewegh said. “The juried exhibition is a way that artists can exhibit their work by having it qualified, in a way, because not everyone just gets in. That doesn’t necessarily mean the pieces that didn’t get in were not successful pieces. It’s just that those of us who judged the exhibition judged these to be the most successful.”
The gallery showcases a wide variety of mediums and styles by 24 different artists. The three-dimensional pieces make use of bronze, mixed media, ceramic, kiln-formed glass and quartz crystal, while the two-dimensional works employ mediums such as charcoal conte, graphite on paper, oil on panel, oil on canvas, mixed media on paper, acrylic on canvas, digital print and colored pencil.
One piece that may draw visitors is “At home she received a premium education,” by Amy Eaton. The sculpture features a young girl in a reclined position staring at a television with a sucker in her mouth and a remote in her hand.
The largest two-dimensional piece is “Karyatid,” an oil-on-canvas painting by Katherine Sullivan that features an elegant blue figure against a striking red background.
“We hope that [those who visit the gallery] can appreciate the diversity of what’s out there in the art world,” Viewegh said. “And by doing a single-themed exhibition—just around the human figure—you can really see that [diversity].”
The exhibition is open every weekday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. through March 14, and admission is free.
