The Lighter Side of Figurative Art
"Some works might make viewers laugh out loud; others may provoke a smile while still others will probably induce no more than an unexhibited amusement," (SJMA "The Lighter Side of Bay Area Figuration", 1). Susan Landauer says this in regards to the latest exhibit at the San Jose Museum of Art. The show offers a wide range of pieces from the technically proficient to the texturally interesting; all had a lighthearted quality. I found "Joe Bot" by Clayton Bailey and "Untitled" by Joan Brown to be two particularly interesting pieces that typify the exhibit. The Lighter Side of Bay Area Figuration is akin to Michealangelo's whole career on a bohemian vacation (Hawaiian shirts included). Works exhibited demonstrate an array of concepts from "auto biography and Surrealism's love of the bizarre and evocative juxtaposition to social and cultural taboos" (Chadwick, 309). The chosen media of the exhibit include metal and glasswork along with the more traditional means of art such as painting, sketches and plaster sculpture. Imagine the David with a light show in his chest, carrots for feet and a dog staring up at him with wide curious eyes. If the reader can imagine this then she will be fully prepared for what the SJMA h
The painting largely consists of the ambiance Brown has created for the boy and his dog. The background is a mass of defined colors, where the colors still mingle together but aren't muddy. The colors push towards the wild side of earthy. Instead of a deep maroon in the boy's striped shirt, Brown uses a muted red; all of the hues are treated in this manner. The figures presented in a two O'clock light but the background seems unaffected by the time of day. San Jose Museum of Art, "The Lighter Side of Bay Area Figuration". SJMA. September 2000. as to offer. It integrates a keen sense of technology (Clayton equips his dog sculpture with a motion detector so it emits and electronic bark as museum-goers walk by) while preserving the classic concepts of anatomical study and what might be considered "Salon" training in mid-nineteenth century Paris.
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Approximate Word count = 849
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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