Currently on view in the Union Gallery at Sacramento State are the results from the university's Student Purchase Awards. The artworks selected for the awards are chosen by art professionals and then are purchased by the university to put into the gallery's collection. The artworks are not united in theme, method, or style but in quality. Some of my favorites and discussed below, but I hope you will go see the exhibition for yourself.
Dawn Kwan-Nam Chan, Van Gogh's Blue Period,
Acrylic on Canvas.
Van Gogh's Blue Period is quite obviously a homage to Van Gogh's famous portraits. However, Dawn Kwan-Nam Chan seems to be connecting Van Gogh to Picasso's highly melancholic Blue Period through the title. The painting seems to be bleeding paint. There is a smudge off-white, peach colored paint over his ear, which could be a reference to Van Gogh famously slicing off his ear. The dark blue paint dripping off the canvas invokes blood, but it also reminds me of Van Gogh's dependent relationship with paint. It is like the paint has become his blood.
Angelina Sorokin, detail of Topographic Map of Heaven,
Acrylic and Spray Paint on Canvas.
The colors and movement of Angelina Sorokin's painting are fascinating, but it is even more so when combined with the title, Topographic Map of Heaven. This is a case when the title gives a rich context for the mind to play in.
Evan Purdy, detail of Apache Man, Charcoal on Paper.
Apache Man, which holds third place in this year's awards, is incredibly detailed and emotional. I was first struck by the look on this man's face. It is something like sadness, or maybe dejection. The size and monochrome nature of the artwork adds to the overall melancholy of the drawing. I was shocked to find that this drawing was in charcoal. This drawing must have been very difficult, yet it transcends just technical expertise and relays powerful emotion.
Caiti Chan, detail of Anonymous, House Paint on Canvas.
In my previous post on Commune, a previous exhibition in the Union Gallery, I discussed Caiti Chan's Grandmother. The technique is very similar in Anonymous, but the way the paint is packed on seems to refer to a different sort of person and personality than that of her grandmother. I really enjoy the way Chan's paintings are both abstract and representational. Though there is a face, the character of the individual is not shown so much in expression but in the color and application of paint.
Catherine Suan, detail of Transcendence, Oil on Canvas.
I really respond to Catherine Suan's portrayal of this young girl in Transcendence. It is abstract in a way, overlaying these cubist shapes over her portrait. But the triangular shapes seem to act more like ice or glass breaking away from the girl. It is as if the girl was encased in ice and she is finally breaking free, transcending. The colors of the painting make this transcending process feel light, gentle, and ultimately illuminating.
Mustafa Shaheen, Omar F., Oil on Canvas.
Of what I've seen of the artist's work so far, Mustafa Shaheen consistently makes these incredible, multi-color portraits. In Omar F., the subject is shaving his face, a simple, everyday task made reverent. The bright colors and luminous shine to the lighter color values brings the beautiful to the mundane. Omar F. placed first.
Steven Berroteran, The Body, Ink Set Photos.
The Body, by Steven Berroteran and second place winner, is utterly fascinating. Different parts of the nude body are photographed and displayed, but the contortions, the views and the crops are done in a way that distorts the body. All that is visible then is the beauty of line, texture and movement. You can look at the photographs and try to map out what each photograph is portraying (is it a knee, a hip, an arm?) but when it comes down to it, that is not what is of true importance here. The beauty of the human body is at its peak here.
The Student Purchase Awards will be on view at the Union Gallery at Sacramento Sate until April 23.
Me, gazing at Green Spring by Tammy Helenske.
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