"A Century of Progress"

          Morris Topchevsky takes his political views and transforms them onto canvas. In his painting, "A Century of Progress", we see the contrast between the fair's utopian theme of advancement and the sorry reality of out-of-work Americans. The painting arose due to the oppression of the Jews in Topchevsky's native home, Poland, where four of his siblings died. The group of six men huddled with a newspaper that reads "Daily Workers" represent the hard working men who were forced to become homeless. Sitting beside them are trash and forgotten furniture along with the fair sitting in the background. This shows a world apart from the despaired men. This piece by Topchevsky can be found at the DePaul Art Museum located in Lincoln Park.

http://museums.depaul.edu/

"A Century of Progress"
by Morris Topchevsky

“Out in Chicago”

“Out in Chicago”
Chicago History Museum Exhibition.

I took some time out of this past Friday to check out the “Out in Chicago” exhibit at the Chicago History Museum. The exhibit explores the fact that Chicago has been the crossroads for a variety of cultures. Many people have moved to Chicago to seek a better life and to build new communities.
In the past 150 years, Chicago has created a strong community of surviving, thriving, and struggling gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender Chicagoans. The exhibit analyzes an array of diverse content including clothing, literature, bars, important documents, stories, and unique individuals that relate directly to Chicago’s LGBT history.
The exhibit itself lets you step into Chicago’s past, which makes the present more understood in the LGBT community.

"Chicago’s LGBT history is not just a story about one group of people in one neighborhood. 

It’s a history that has happened throughout the city and over time."
 — Jill Austin, co-curator

Flickr Gallery of Exhibit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/chicagohistory/sets/72157626233034306/detail/

-Emily

Jennifer Cronin

       Each month the Fine Arts Building, located on Michigan Ave., holds Open Studio Nights. This month, I had the honor of going to help Elephant Room, Inc. artist Jennifer Cronin set up and entertain for her work. She showcased many new science inspired pieces, some still in progress, along with a more recognized painting, "Pink". This young artist is charming and inspiring to all those creators out there. Paintings and Postcards by Cronin can be found in the shop!

Check out more of Jennifer Cronin's work at http://www.jennifercronin.com/

"Pink" by Jennifer Cronin

This Will Have Been: Art, Love & Politics in the 1980s

This past Thursday I visited the Museum of Contemporary Art located off the Chicago Red Line stop. One exhibit that stood out above the rest was This Will Have Been: Art, Love & Politics in the 1980s. On display from  February 11th- June 3rd 2012, the exhibit covers the period from 1979 to 1992. 


From the birth of MTV, to the rap/hip-hop scene emerging, to the former US President Ronald Reagan and everything in between; this exhibition attempts to make sense of what happened to the visual arts in the United States during this tumultuous period.


The artists represented in this exhibit answer the questions "what is the role of the visual arts? How can artists make images that either compete with or counter the powerful images produced by advertising and Hollywood?"


Each room of the exhibit has its own central theme "The End is Near," "Democracy," "Gender Trouble," and "Desire and Longing."


Although I was born in 1990, I still was influenced and captured by some if not a lot of the artwork represented in the exhibit. This exhibit not only brings entertainment to the public but also brings awareness. 


Go to the MCA when you have time and check it out. It's definitely different than your average exhibition. 

http://mcachicago.org/exhibitions/featured/twhb/exhibition/overview

"The Winter Tiger"

         Today I visited the DePaul Art Museum. The gallery had just recently opened this past year and contains many interesting and unique pieces of work. One painting that particularly caught my attention was "The Winter Tiger" by Tony Fitzpatrick. Using graphite, ink, and pigment, Fitzpatrick was an underdog of art. His fierce and bold ways of storytelling makes him a visionary artist, poet, and performer. He gives a voice to the nameless.

"The Winter Tiger"
by Tony Fitzpatrick

            When asked why the moth was used as a symbolic statement in "The Winter Tiger" Fitzpatrick states, "I returned to making moths because they still speak to me in a way that sends ice through my veins..." 

            The moth is strategically placed in the middle and takes up most of the canvas. Inside we see skulls and a cross placed at the head. In the background, buildings are visible along with symbols relating to time. This includes a clock and the saying "Tick Tock". There is also, in the corner, the word "DRUGS". Is Fitzpatrick trying to tell us something about time and using it wisely? We can only imagine. Check out more of Tony Fitzpatrick's works at DePaul Art Museum or on his online site! 

http://museums.depaul.edu/

http://tonyfitzpatrick.wordpress.com/ 

In my painting class at Columbia, I decided to use a cubist style for my most recent oil piece. It started as a still life of an empty spaghetti jar, a clementine, and a cinnamon container. It is still in progress.

Cubism is considered a 20th century avant-garde art movement. Varieties of shapes and angles are formed to fit and make a rather abstract sense of depth, while retaining a flat image. Some of the considered founders are Pablo Picasso and Georges Barque. Viewpoints in Cubism are looked at in a few different phases: Analytic, Synthetic, and Sculptural. 

-Emily

“Feast: Radical Hospitality in Contemporary Art.”

Last week I got the opportunity to visit the Smart Museum of Art over in Hyde Park. The exhibition opening taking place that evening was, “Feast: Radical Hospitality in Contemporary Art.” The show shared work from over thirty artists since the 1930s. The artists shared their experiences of eating and food through a variety of different mediums.

The museum was crowded the whole evening. Outside was an “Enemy Kitchen” food truck serving complimentary Iraqi food. I immediately grabbed some and it was pretty good. (see photo)

I would recommend stopping by to see this exhibition. It certainly brought a different kind of enlightenment to me. Finding unique ways to connect an artist with everyday living can be a challenge. I was happy to be there, and fulfilled when leaving. The exhibition runs until June 10^th, you have plenty of time to make it!

E

Artists:

Feast includes art, documentary materials, and new public projects by Marina Abramović and Ulay, Sonja Alhäuser, Mary Ellen Carroll, Fallen Fruit, Theaster Gates, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, InCUBATE, The Italian Futurists, Mella Jaarsma, Alison Knowles, Suzanne Lacy, Lee Mingwei, Laura Letinsky, Tom Marioni, Gordon Matta-Clark, Mildred's Lane, Julio César Morales and Max La Rivière-Hedrick, motiroti, National Bitter Melon Council, Ana Prvacki, Sudsiri Pui-Ock, Michael Rakowitz, Ayman Ramadan, Red76, David Robbins, Allen Ruppersberg, Bonnie Sherk, Barbara T. Smith, Daniel Spoerri, Rirkrit Tiravanija, and others. (smartmuseum.uchicago.edu/)