Art Gallery Visit #2

http://www.burchfieldpenney.org/exhibitions/exhibition:07-12-2013-09-15-2013-ben-perrone-illusion-dellusion/

Step #1: The Exhibition

#1. What is the title of the exhibit?

-Illusion/Delusion by Ben Perrone, at the Burchfield Penny Art Center.

#2. What is the theme of the exhibition?

-The installation is a tribute to the servicemen and women who died in Iraq.

Step #2: The Gallery

#1. What type of lighting is used?

-Track lighting is used to focus the viewer to the artwork since the light shines directly on the pieces. The rest of the exhibit had dim lighting to eliminate the unused space and create a sense of ambiance.

#2. What colors are used on the walls?

-The walls were painted white, I think that having colorful walls would distract from the artwork.

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

-The walls of the gallery were made of drywall, and there were glass doors that led you into the gallery. The gallery is pretty basic and plain, since it is all about the art.

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

-The gallery kind of reminds me of a smaller and simpler version if a corn maze. The viewer gets to pick which way to go, but there is no right way. Each path leads to more rooms and exhibits when you thought you saw all there was to see you come across another path.  This provides an unique experience for each person.

Step #3: The Artwork

#1. How are the artworks organized?

-The artwork is organized by exhibit and I noticed that the art is hung at eye level and is level with all the other artworks in the exhibit.

#2. How are the artworks similar?

-There were multiple display cases with pictures of servicemen and news articles. All these things represent one common theme, the unnecessary loss of life.  

#3. How are the artworks different?

-The artworks were different because some were very literally like the photos of the servicemen while some were very abstract like the hanging black bags that represent each life lost in Iraq.

#4. How are the artwork framed?

-The art work in the exhibit I visited, Illusion/Delusion was set on top of cream canvas in a glass frame with a very thin silver border.

#5. How are the artworks identified and labeled?

-Not all the artworks throughout the gallery and the exhibit were labeled. But when they were there was a small white plac underneath the art with all the info about it. Such as the artist, title, date, media, and sometimes a short description of the art.

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

-The artworks in the Illusion/Delusion exhibit were spread very far apart which kept the viewer moving and every inch of the gallery was utilized. 

Artwork #1.

Adele Rieger Cohen

Untitled

Oil on paper

1965

The painting is if a circle with a black background, half of the circle is dark while the other is a little bit lighter. In the center it looks like the silhouette of a women to me. The artist uses shape through the use of the circle. There is emphasis on the light "face" of the women since the rest of the painting is dark with the colors black and red. Balance is used by having the "women" directly in the middle of the circle and there is not more empty space on one side then the other. I really can't tell what the artist is trying to convey because it seems really abstract to me. But to me it looks like a women covering her mouth with her arm as if she can't go on or is not supposed  to talk. She is also going to the lighter side of the circle, like the darker side was the dark past she was walking away from . In this case the past would be the war since that was the theme of exhibit. 

Artwork #2

Lawrence Calcagno

Rose Black

Watercolor and gouache on paper

1956

29 3/4 x 21 3/4 inches

The artwork Rose Black is very dark with black and a dark rust color. The darkness is broken up by a strip of cream with black spots and strokes. The artist uses value with the contrast of dark and light. Emphasis is used since the eye is brought directly to the lighter portion of the painting. The black strokes also give the painting texture and movement. Since the whole exhibit was about the tragedies in Iraq I think the light portion represents hope, kind of like there is a light and the end of tunnel.

Artwork #3
Ben Perrone
Illusion/Delusion
Black paper bags and monofilament
2009
252x252x252 inches

Ben Perrone’s installation is a tribute to the Servicemen and Women who died in Iraq. The 28 ft installation shows the enormity and impact of war. Perrone stated that "an inverted pyramid constructed of black bags evokes the burial places of kings married to the iconic representations deceased soldiers returning home. The inverted temple is both a remembrance and a statement of protest against the unnecessary loss of lives".

"The sculpture, 24 feet high, is made up of 4300 black bags, each representing a member of the United States Armed Forces who lost his or her life in Operation Iraqi Freedom as of 2009."

Along with the installation there was a video playing that showed the artist hand writing the names of the people who lost their lives and putting the names into the bags. It some galleries this installation is hug in front of the entrance so people have to walk through the sea of bags, as if they are being touched by the lives that were lost. 

The artist uses proportion to guide the viewers eye up the installation. Having the bags arranged like an upside down pyramid draws the eye up and creates movement. Light is also used by shining it from the bottom to create emphasis on the piece since the rest of the exhibit was pretty dim. The 3D bags also gave the installation texture. 

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 thought it was a cool experience to look at things other than the artwork. I never really pick up on the architecture of the building, the lighting, etc. For the first part of the assignment i was basically ignoring the artwork which is an ironic thing to do at an art museum.