Juror's Statement
THE APRIL 2003
ALL-MEDIA MEMBERSHIP SHOW
A metaphor attributed to Eugene Delacroix defined his ideal aspiration for a painting. It is said he stated that painting should provide "a feast for the eyes." While art in the modern context encompasses many styles, mediums and forms of expression, there is little doubt that the first perception of art is through the ocular nerve. The artistic simile that pleases the eye - both due to shape, color, pattern, composition or all combined - inevitably permeates enjoyment to the senses and defines the intellectual parameters used to evaluate its validity. Thus, no matter the criteria applied to determine taste or preference or relevance, the synoptic response caused by the visual perception arbitrates the pleasure derived from a work of art.
The selection process for this exhibition was, at first, subjective. As the art and artists were unknown, the works that caused visual stimulus and a visceral response were picked for examination. That done, other parameters were applied. For the works that were representational, a fresh and unexpected approach for rendering a known subject determined acceptance. Upon that, clarity of line, color and shape, composition, application of the medium and technical ability, were deciding factors. For those works that were non-representational, a non-derivative approach and a sense of color coordination caught the eye. For photography, a new way of looking at the ordinary, the compositional merit, the photographic technique became the paramount considerations.
Now to the slippery slopes of taste and back to subjective considerations, art edits the ordinary (whether it be the nature surrounding us, the people we meet, or the percolation of ideas) to depict the extraordinary. The resulting image is defined as vision, imagination, and unusual perception. Yet, one person's vision is another's folly. That reason alone consigns art to subjective consideration, both on the side of the maker and the viewer and produces the ever fragile and always enduring process called creativity. Without subjective consideration, taste becomes plebian - relegated to common acceptance.
Thus, the final analysis upon which selections were made was based on the response elicited by the artwork. Images that evoked interest, drew attention, inspired wonderment - through the quality of rendition, the freshness of colors and patterns, the skill of the hand or the presentation of an idea were chosen because they stimulated my perception.
To paraphrase Oscar Wilde, we are all born in the gutter, only a few look up at the stars. As a writer and cognizant of the artistic milieu of his times, he expressed with these words the true derivative benefit of art. Art inspires. The process of making art elevates the consciousness of the doer and the images produced elevate the imagination of the viewer, if only one looks up at the stars.
Reid Buckley
Museum Liaison and Exhibit Development Administrator
International Arts & Artists (IA&A),
Juror's Dialogue
by Pat Gerkin
The Art League was pleased to welcome Reid Buckley, Museum Liaison and Exhibit Development Administrator for International Arts & Artists (IA&A), as juror for the April All-Media Membership show. Buckley says that "this type of juried show often attracts art that is familiar to us--images and techniques that have been seen--such as flowers in vases. These are images that are taught in a classroom and so we see them often. Although I saw plenty of these works, there was also room for some surprises." The level of professionalism was perhaps higher than Buckley expected and he offered his observations: "In this region, there is a density of artists and so there are more submissions. Also, we are exposed to some phenomenally good art museums. The National Gallery alone exhibits some extraordinary work."
Selection process: "My process is mostly intuitive. I wanted the work to touch me, and I looked for those works that moved me personally. Those that reached out to me were set aside for further consideration. This sounds like a random and arbitrary process, but it is not. When one spends a lifetime looking at art, one learns to 'feel' art. Once the work is selected for consideration, then I note the characteristics that make it meritorious. Each piece was studied, and, in the case of figurative work, I looked for how well-rendered and expressive the figure was. In the case of photography, I looked at the technique, for example, no dust spots on the image, the gradations between black and gray and white. I also looked for an altered reality. In the case of painting, I looked for technique and for work in which the painter actually handled paint and chose colors to make, for instance, a landscape appear realistic rather than imagined. For abstract painting, I looked for the emotional quality of color and the statement that was alluded to in the work. Overall, I looked for strong composition, good color choices, and whether or not the work spoke to me," he elaborated.
Drawing: "I was surprised at the number of figure drawings. One drawing of a male was outstanding (J. Cohen). I was pleased to see that artists did not shrink away from rendering the human figure - it is one of the most complex subjects in the world. I looked especially for craftsmanship; line, correct proportions, and soundness of the structure."
Watercolor: "This is the area that did not surprise me, as the submissions met my expectations-- lots of flowers in vases. It is difficult to render flowers in vases in a way that makes them truly compelling. I chose a divine little watercolor that captured the essence of the medium (S. Bayne). Another worthy watercolor was a beautiful Chinese-screen ink and watercolor with two birds. The technique was extraordinary (L. Wei). Overall, there was considerable skill in this medium, but much of the subject matter was too predictable, familiar, and patented."
Pastels/colored pencil: "Pastels were strong. I was very impressed with the technique used in the pastel of two horses on a country lane. The primary horse was wonderfully rendered. The tonality of the horse made it completely realistic, and the artist's control over her medium spilled into the landscape around the horse (D. Boling). The pastel of a truck was more imaginative than realistic, but technically extremely proficient (M. McGurk). In the pastels, I did not find a painterly quality--like in a Degas--that was evocative and transformative; one which moved the viewer to engage with the image."
Photography: "The photography was the hardest choice of all. There were many good photographs. In the end, I discounted images that were 'newsy,' photojournalistic, or documentary. I chose instead photographs that had a more romantic expression. I chose metaphors. The first choice was a black and white landscape of a wood fence disappearing into the misty background (H. Goodrum). The image, reinforced by the photographic process, created a dream-like quality that roused nostalgic thoughts and memories. Like the mists of Avalon, it transported the viewer into a world that is out of this world."
Printmaking: "There were some wonderful prints submitted. My degree was in studio art. I have hands-on experience with many art mediums such as drawing, painting, photography, screen-printing and etching. I know the process. Thus, I asked myself rhetorical questions, 'How proficient was the printer? Did he wipe his plates well? Was his line strong? How well did he render?' Printmaking is not easy, especially when depicting realistic images. The printer must think in reverse. It is an extraordinary challenge. The quality was quite good--good craftsmanship and good imagery. I chose a narrative piece for an award that was quite compelling (G.J.Zepecki). It was representative of pain, suffering, and alienation. It used tonalities of black and gray that emphasized those emotions."
Painting/Abstract: "One group of abstracts was oriented toward color play, rather than color field or cubism. I would characterize the works as Abstract Expressionism. The other group of abstracts was the color-oriented cubists. These works stirred specific emotions through color. This is a very smart, artificial way of getting people to respond to the work, and that is part of what art is all about. The submissions were quite good. I chose two painters as representative of painting. In one of the works, I think I made the assumption that the artist is relatively young and experimental, and I liked that (G. Dodson). Both the artists really pushed the paint around with a hands-on, physical approach that really made the work compelling. The paint was not daintily applied, and it made the experience of the works physical. In these two cases, the image was not as important as the paint.
"In the end I selected a forceful exterior landscape for first prize (Marshall Award) as the painting depicted an exterior landscape scene rarely noticed. The painting depicted the mundane from a perspective that transformed the familiar into the exceptional. The application of paint and color was bold and direct, showing no hesitation (E. Zaret)."
Painting/Realism: "Portraits were good overall, but I only selected one. I could empathize with the sitter, a male (J. Burley). Paint has vitality, a life of its own. The colors used, and the texture of the paint had a vibrancy that evoked a feeling and brought the subject to life. "
Mixed Media/Collage: "These submissions were a little soft, and very few were selected. It is an extraordinarily difficult medium. Sometimes the objects selected for combination simply do not work together. One piece formed a relief. It was a quiet, meditative but intriguing relief form. It was monochromatic (S. Yurdin). All the mixed media works that I chose were on paper."
Sculpture: "The sculpture was the weakest category. I was very surprised, because this show was to have a sculpture emphasis. There were three or four figurative works that were quite proficient. I chose one of a full nude figure of an older woman (P. Stern). If the sculpture is going to be a figure, I like to see the sculptor's ability to render the figure proportionally and also deviate from the figure without losing the essence of the form. I was particularly surprised at the scarcity of abstract forms. The selection was overall lacking in imagination."
An automatic KO: "Anything that was too derivative or showed a lack of vision or imagination. Anything that looked like the work of a pupil. Anything that was technically not proficient."
Advice to Artists: "Spend your lifetime looking at art. Look. Look. Look. Go to museums and see what the masters did. Only by looking at art can one learn true substance. Once substance is discerned, focus on the details - the techniques, composition, rendering - in other words, how the artists convey ideas. When you are ready, apply the techniques learned to support your message. The only way to learn is to look. Art is a visual medium, after all!"
On the Whitney Biennial and the absence of painting in the world art scene: "Art is becoming theatrical. Conceptual art is the staging of an idea, not the representation of one. Art is no longer a discipline. Artists used to develop a craft. Whereas, in the last 40 years, art students have been taught to think about art but all too often not taught to paint or draw or sculpt, for example, so artists are encouraged to make art from whatever is at hand. Even the grand masters of Abstract Expressionism had formal training in the arts. But today's artists' lack of formative training may be contributing to the propensity of installations. Of course there are many exceptions, Richter, for example. During the Renaissance, the Sistine Chapel represented the complete embodiment of thought, philosophy, religion, and ethos by which an entire civilization lived. How would such a grand statement be represented today?"
Advice to The Art League: "Continue doing what you are doing. You are providing an important service. Art liberates one from oneself. The rest of the world is terribly plebian and terribly mundane. Art allows us to have and be something better, and we need that."
This page was last updated 04/15/2003.