ROCKFORD ART MUSEUM | RAM TALKS ART | ART MUSEUM'S FIRST EXHIBITION OF 2009

RAM Talks Art: Art Museum's first exhibition of 2009

By Patty Rhea, Curator, Rockford Art Museum

For thousands of years, the human face has been a source of fascination for artists. Be it the funeral portraits of ancient Egypt, Da Vinci's Mona Lisa, Picasso's cubist images of Dora Maar or Warhol's silkscreen of Marilyn Monroe, the portrait has a long and rich history in art. The genre of portrait painting has always attracted a rare breed of artists that challenge themselves to present the countenance in just the right light. Rockford Art Museum's (RAM) first exhibition of 2009, Visages: Face Revised, presents the work of seven such artists.

Two of the artists, Christina Bothwell and Gregory Grenon, choose to express themselves in glass. Bothwell creates strangely compelling figures in cast glass that are often combined with elements of raku ceramic. Found objects often serve as limbs and other body parts. Sources as varied as antique dolls, taxidermy animals and small furniture parts give the pieces added complexity and charm. Bothwell is fascinated with what lies beneath the surface, elements of life that are not readily seen or readily defined. She uses images of babies, children and animals as subject matter to express life's vulnerabilities.

Grenon makes his home in Portland, Ore. He uses glass as his canvas. Much like his training as a printmaker, Grenon creates startlingly-developed characters—in reverse, on glass. Details are painted first; form is gradually realized through an expressive layering of brilliant pigment. Bold, painterly brushstrokes give his portraits a visceral edge.

Michigan artist Rick Beerhorst is a painter's painter. He brings a Renaissance approach to the creation of his deeply spiritual art. His brood of six children, intricately painted at different stages in life, is his chosen subject matter. The intimate scale, jewel-like detail and fine craftsmanship captivate the viewer. Portraits are often set against a meandering landscape dotted with classically-adorned architecture.

The work of Austin, Texas, artist Ray Donley occupies a unique niche in contemporary art. His haunting visages, inspired by baroque portraiture, appear to transcend time. The dramatic play of light and shadow, golden and foreboding, recalls the work of Dutch and Spanish baroque portraiture.

Argentinean artist RES employs the camera to produce dramatically-staged color photographs that use light in an equally compelling way. Inspired by masterpieces created by artists such as Picasso and Da Vinci, his portraits hark back to an earlier time.

The paintings of Anne Siems also evoke the past. Born in Berlin, Germany, Siems moved to Seattle in 1991. The artist creates narratives from aspects of everyday life. Her finely-detailed figures are often displayed against a delicate background of drip paintings. Bird iconography is commonly seen in her work. This recurring theme represents freedom, peace and the transience of time and beauty.

Rockford native and self-taught artist Stephen Warde Anderson's acrylic paintings are representational, but highly stylized. His fanciful portraits, boldly colored and precisely rendered, capture women in a romantic light. Anderson's oeuvre has a naïve, whimsical quality found in traditional Midwestern folk art.

Keenly interested in genealogy, the artist often paints distant relatives. In fact, most of Anderson's portraits in Visages are of family, including the Portrait of Sir Winston Spencer-Churchill, a sixth cousin. Male portraiture is a rarity for this artist. Anderson presents a compelling image of the prime minister. There is a directness to his portrayal of Churchill that is quite moving. Churchill sits squarely at his desk, in front of a curtained window, the ever-present cigar resting in hand. Paintbrushes in the foreground make reference to the prime minister's love of painting. A Spitfire fighter plane and the iconic shape of Big Ben are seen in the distant sky. It is difficult to believe this astute rendering is the work of an untrained artist, and this one hails from our very own hometown!

Visages: Face Revised is sponsored by Art in the Garden. The exhibition opens with a members' gallery walk and reception Friday, Jan. 16, 2009, and free public opening all day Saturday, Jan. 17, 2009 (free docent-led gallery walks are offered at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. that day). Visages remains on display at Rockford Art Museum through Sunday, April 5.

Contact Rockford Art Museum Curator Patty Rhea at prhea@rockfordartmuseum.org.

from the Dec. 31, 2008-Jan. 6, 2009 issue

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