Back To the Roots

What is striking about the 2009 Master of Fine Arts Thesis Exhibition was the common thread of the organic, the natural, and the expression of a concept neither obvious nor easy to grasp. It was perhaps the last characteristic that lent so much to the feeling of ambiguity for the viewer. This is not to say the uncertainty experienced was unpleasant; on the contrary, it led the observer into an environment of awe and mystery that was difficult not to appreciate.

The most striking artists were Heather Losey McGeachy and Lauren McCleary. McGeachy’s pieces were wholly unique in both their technique and content. Her images were created in a style that resembled watercolor in their broad washes of color and vibrancy, though the feeling of reality blurring with the intangible is certainly felt within the landscapes. A perfect example would be “Lions Arch” where a woman surveys her surroundings in futuristic attire. In a way her pieces present themselves as sketches with a life breathed into them through color and composition. The presentation of the paintings themselves was also effective, as it created a depth that is unique to a two-dimensional image. The manner the paintings hung away from the wall allowed for shadow to play a role in their arrangement.

McCleary’s pieces were similarly intriguing with their indistinct messages and “points,” so to speak. Her installation “The Ins and Outs” was magnificent with its use of wind, light, shadow, and imagery. While the pieces did not readily come together as a whole, each aspect gave itself to a broader experience. Each work was a journey with discoveries to be made. Whether identifying all the elephants or realizing the next up above was made of the bodies of horses, every aspect was in and of itself intriguing to analyze.

Even though these women were the most remarkable, the other artists presented held an oddly similar feel to their pieces. Dustin Price created works of outstanding beauty and composition, though quite organic and neutral in color. Brad Dinsmore delved more into the abstract and ambiguous, his pieces rarely evoking any clear or coherent ideas. Even childlike in nature, Dinsmore’s work probably loses his audience because of their distracting compositions and vague purposes. An example of this were the “Epistemology Notebooks” where each page held a line or scribble in various colors. Above all, his work was difficult to identify with because of its scattered nature. While his statements allude to a purpose of questioning knowledge, one is moved to ask what knowledge was put into his work. With words misspelled and the technique delving into the appearance of grade school utensils having been used, it is difficult for the message to be clear through the clutter.

Nevertheless, even with these few objections to technique it was interesting to see the ever-present atmosphere of questionable environments. In a world of constant change and a present time-period of wide confusion and uncertainty, their pieces were essentially a snap-shot of the morale of much of America and even the world today. Their pieces, though obscure in meaning, were all asking the viewer to journey into them, analyze the pieces, and come up with an individual interpretation. Though some artists were more successful at this than others, all of them created art requiring a personal thought processes and conclusions. This in itself is reminiscent of the human condition in the twenty-first century.

Some have argued that the artwork was bland and emotionless, but a more accurate interpretation of these feelings would be that those viewers were not doing their job as an observer to find the meaning. Nothing fine artists create is purposeless, and with the training these individuals have gone through they would not possibly act so amateurishly as to produce a piece without value. Perhaps the artist Peter Zokosky described it best when he spoke of the state of confusion being an important state in which the individual can essentially open his/her mind to all the possibilities and interpretations. The artist should indeed be his/her own client. If the world only respected images of pleasurable, obvious qualities the walls of homes and museums everywhere would be plagued with Kinkades. These graduating students have acted on their own concepts and wants. To have such a freedom of expression is to have the tools to create artwork looked again and again for the viewer to discover new interpretations and appreciations in each session. Techniques undoubtedly need to be revised for some, but the surreal versions of reality are intriguing and promising.

More On Pollock

Because I know nothing about Madonna and very little of Spiderman, I will discuss Pollock in relation to Freudian and Foucaultian ideals. Surprisingly enough, I found Pollock to fit quite well with the fundamentals of Freud. As for Foucault, Pollock’s work would probably be considered the purest form of art.

Freud’s writings are largely centered around the belief that one’s true self lies in his/her subconscious. Day-dreams and art are connected, and the significance of art depends on its relationship with the unconscious process. To me Pollock’s pieces are the epitome of this theory. His pieces are strictly the emotions and feelings of the moment he painted; it truly is as though Pollock was “dream[ing] in broad daylight.” Many artists become caught up in the planning and structure of a piece, but Pollock simply picked up a jar of paint and worked out his thoughts onto the canvas.

Pollock’s pieces would also likely appeal to Foucault in that they challenged convention. While I don’t believe this was a deliberate strike against the traditional art world, I do think Pollock worked in a way that he felt expressed himself most effectively. As an artist myself, I understand how constricted my creativity is by societal limitations of the “norm.” It is difficult for many to break convention. Pollock immersed himself in his work and the movement of his pieces. While he had knowledge of technique and method, he created his own approach to the expression of himself. In essence, Pollock lived in Foucault’s intermediary region.

I wouldn’t consider Pollock a favorite artist of mine, but I do have great respect for his work. Freud and Foucault described theories that scored the allure of Pollock and the reason he was so successful.

Script vs. Performance

After staring at this page for the last 20 minutes, I guess what my feelings toward all this boil down to is that The Heidi Chronicles was a plot I enjoyed more as a script than a play. Reading it myself, I had a far stronger view of Heidi in my mind; though nervous and a spectator, for me she was a grounded and honest woman struggling to find what she truly wanted out of her life. As a feminist she held on to her views and pursued her career with great passion. However, throughout her journey she inevitably grew apart from the friends she was once so close to. I didn’t interpret this as any of the characters’ fault but rather a natural course in the human experience. By the end of the play I was left contented to see Heidi adopt a child of her own to satisfy her loneliness. I did not see the adoption as her “caving in,” but rather her finally taking a moment to take a break from her work and relax with someone new and uncomplicated. In a way, I saw the end of the play as the beginning of Heidi’s fulfilled life.

With this in mind, I was confused by the end of the WSU presentation. While the other characters mirrored my imaginings, Heidi’s was completely different than expected. In the acted play she seemed frightened, insecure, and absolutely confused. I understood the purpose behind portraying her this way, but it left the end of the play feeling unfinished. To me she was supposed to finally be fulfilled in the end of the play, having accomplished all her goals and accepting that she needed company in her life to be truly happy. The feminist movement was all about equal rights, but it also placed woman in a position of needing to feel independent and absolutely strong in her convictions. This is a lot of pressure to put onto anyone, and the adoption was her realization that she did not have to go through her life all alone. More importantly, her work was not all she had to offer.

The WSU rendition was satisfactory but in the end it did not meet my expectations. I saw the play as a positive statement for woman not to settle for anything less than what they deserve and after Thursday night felt like the future of the characters was quite bleak.