I recently heard from a friend about a show based on Homer’s Odyssey that she said I just “had to see”. Before venturing out to see it for myself, I figured I should do some re-reading to refresh my memory from high school, which was longer ago than I care to think about. What I remembered was how much I was not a fan of the epic story, but figured that being the visual person I was, maybe seeing it as a collection of art would bring new life to the story for me. I was unfortunately unimpressed by the series and the passages that had been chosen to illustrate, but as I was walking out of the gallery that had this work, some paintings in the adjacent gallery caught my eye. The artist is Richmond Garrick and though there were only five of his paintings hanging, I couldn’t stop looking at them.
The work that was on the facing wall as you enter the gallery (pictured second above) was the largest of the five pieces and immediately drew you into the work. His style of paint application uses wide, expressive brushstrokes with thick layers of paint that don’t translate well in photographs. The thickness in some areas more closely resembled a relief surface than a painted surface. The subjects of the paintings were not titled with names, but all are obviously of people, even in the most obscured ones, figures and faces were fairly easy to discern. This particular piece, titled Resistance , I approached with a feeling of urgent empathy. It was as if I was approaching someone in pain or in need of assistance. I am not positive if it was due to the size or just the fact that the expression of the figure was so clear, but I quickly realized that who the person was was not important. What Garrick was trying to express was the experience and the emotion of the moment.
In one of the smaller pieces, Vulnerable(top) , it is definitely more difficult to make out the scene and what feeling or moment Garrick is trying to portray. Using the title as a basis for delving further into the painting didn’t help much in this case. We have all experienced vulnerability and know what that feels like, but there are many situations that make us feel vulnerable and what was happening to this person seemed to be more than that. This continued to peak my interest as I continued around the room. Not only was this image the least detailed, but the title guaranteed that it stayed that way. I suddenly felt uncomfortable, as if I were invading this person’s privacy or space in some way. Whether or not this is what was intended by the artist, I may never know, but it was amazing how vulnerable I was becoming to the emotions evoked by each piece.
On my way out of the gallery, there was some literature about Garrick. The title was Expression of Oppression, A Metaphor for the Unthinkable. Having been inspired by an African American Heritage project of his daughters, Garrick completed some detailed portraits of Civil Rights heroes such as Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rosa Parks, but the paintings seem to come from a much deeper place. A place where we react to the conflict and oppression that still exist and are even tolerated in the world. A place where “out of sight, out of mind” cannot be used to allow us to pretend it doesn’t exist. Garrick’s paintings make those feelings real and bring you face to face with tormented expressions on the faces of his subjects.
To me, though in a less specific way, the work of Garrick is similar to that of Goya. He may not be painting a detailed eye witness-like view of a battle or conflict, but has certainly documented the emotions and effects of war, oppression and the unthinkable in a way that the viewer doesn't just "see" it, but experiences it for themselves.
The work that was on the facing wall as you enter the gallery (pictured second above) was the largest of the five pieces and immediately drew you into the work. His style of paint application uses wide, expressive brushstrokes with thick layers of paint that don’t translate well in photographs. The thickness in some areas more closely resembled a relief surface than a painted surface. The subjects of the paintings were not titled with names, but all are obviously of people, even in the most obscured ones, figures and faces were fairly easy to discern. This particular piece, titled Resistance , I approached with a feeling of urgent empathy. It was as if I was approaching someone in pain or in need of assistance. I am not positive if it was due to the size or just the fact that the expression of the figure was so clear, but I quickly realized that who the person was was not important. What Garrick was trying to express was the experience and the emotion of the moment.
In one of the smaller pieces, Vulnerable(top) , it is definitely more difficult to make out the scene and what feeling or moment Garrick is trying to portray. Using the title as a basis for delving further into the painting didn’t help much in this case. We have all experienced vulnerability and know what that feels like, but there are many situations that make us feel vulnerable and what was happening to this person seemed to be more than that. This continued to peak my interest as I continued around the room. Not only was this image the least detailed, but the title guaranteed that it stayed that way. I suddenly felt uncomfortable, as if I were invading this person’s privacy or space in some way. Whether or not this is what was intended by the artist, I may never know, but it was amazing how vulnerable I was becoming to the emotions evoked by each piece.
On my way out of the gallery, there was some literature about Garrick. The title was Expression of Oppression, A Metaphor for the Unthinkable. Having been inspired by an African American Heritage project of his daughters, Garrick completed some detailed portraits of Civil Rights heroes such as Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rosa Parks, but the paintings seem to come from a much deeper place. A place where we react to the conflict and oppression that still exist and are even tolerated in the world. A place where “out of sight, out of mind” cannot be used to allow us to pretend it doesn’t exist. Garrick’s paintings make those feelings real and bring you face to face with tormented expressions on the faces of his subjects.
To me, though in a less specific way, the work of Garrick is similar to that of Goya. He may not be painting a detailed eye witness-like view of a battle or conflict, but has certainly documented the emotions and effects of war, oppression and the unthinkable in a way that the viewer doesn't just "see" it, but experiences it for themselves.
Note: Other artists with similar work in theme and style - Sheba Sharrow www.shebasharrow.com
8 comments:
Hello,
I think you really get into the meat of your essay at the end of the third paragraph. How you were uneasy as to why you were feeling vulnerable about the “ Vulnerable” painting. As expressive and evocative these images are, what else were these images doing that took them to the level of upsetting you? What is the difference in depicting vulnerability in an abstract painting vs. a photo? What was the paint on the canvass doing for the content of the work to evoke these feelings? You are right, the pictures don’t let the reader know the paintings very well, so take me there. You describe things well and write with clear concise ease. I want to know how the artist treated the surface were there violent gestures, were these figures done in a delicate manner? All of these things can place you in the artist’s head to understand intension behind action. Painting a train wreck violently vs. beautifully and delicately shifts the content of the message. What was the pushing and pulling inside you that made you feel the things you did, what got you on edge and why?
I had the feeling that you were descending into this artists work almost like a ‘travelogue’ with descriptions like “I discovered” and “Now I’m telling you…”. The breeziness of your description juxtaposed with the intensity of feeling that you describe being brought on by the work is an effective one.
While you come around to more serious tone in the last two paragraphs instead of paying ‘lip service’ to Goya I would have been as interested to hear your final summation of the change in your feeling given the much different story from Classic Greek myth that Garrick’s work provided. Otherwise why start out talking so much about the Odyssey show, it makes it seem like ‘lip service’ too and certainly exploiting either Goya or Homer would be appropriate, but this is too short a piece to use both of them – it seems a little glib. Your description of Garrick is strong: strong enough to be framed in the metaphor of either classic – but not stood next to both them. Thanks - Karen
Carly
I was a little disappointed that you didn't stay with Homer’s Odyssey. I think it would have been good to trudge through and figure out what it was that made you not like the paintings so much. It would have been a good opportunity to challenge the way you may look at some art, whether it is appealing or unimpressive. However, I do think that you found a good gallery to review. I think you were able to be involved more with Garrick’s work. I’m interested it hearing more about why you were so vulnerable from the painting.
Hey Carly,
Pictures could have been better, but I think this was a very evocative review. The opening graf was very effective. Too bad it's so hard to get italics to work on these blogs. Otherwise, you could have put a little rush of breathlessness into the sentence about the work you just HAD to see.
I could see you in my mind's eye, Carly, while I was reading this. The writing voice was fresh and immediate, and unhampered by critic-speak. Come to think of it, I haven't seen any artworld jargon in any of the pieces yet. Anyway, you bring a practicing painter's eye to a subject that seems to deserve to be communicated with feeling and delicacy.
"This particular piece, titled Resistance , I approached with a feeling of urgent empathy. It was as if I was approaching someone in pain or in need of assistance." What a great sentence. It's something we don't see enough in art criticism. For sure, it's there some of the time, but not said as directly as you did.
You mentioned on your way out that the paintings are part of a response to the situation of African-Americans in our country. We don't see nearly enough sanctified public expression of the work of black intellectuals, and it seems as though you stumbled upon one just by chance. This is kind of major. You said that "the paintings seem to come from a much deeper place," and then mentioned Goya. Bingo: more major stuff.
We don't have a long time to spend together, and there are some crucial forces that are being brought to the surface by this group review project. I hope we can get this subject out in the open in this coming year. I would like to know what our powers and obligations are in expressing ourselves politically through our art, as Richmond Garrick has apparently done—apparently with success. I am normally against posing questions in my essays, but this is the same thing I'd say to a roomful of people: Should we all be taking part in this?
There could have been more at the end. It seems as though you got to the meat of your subject and then, just like Aesop's dog, dropped it in the creek. I hope you will revisit this subject, fish it out and chew it to the bone—if not in this review, then in the next one.
Thanks!
Sally Eckhoff
Hi Carly,
It is interesting how sometimes we make plans but end up with unexpected experiences. While it is great to hear about these happenings, I don’t think it is needed at the beginning of your review. At the very least, it could have been shortened down to something like, “A friend suggested for me to see a show, I wasn’t impressed but found a gem on my way out.” This then leads into your discovery.
You are very clear with how the paintings affected you; “couldn’t stop looking at them” and “I approached with a feeling of urgent empathy. It was as if I was approaching someone in pain or in need of assistance.” Right away I can clearly understand where you are coming from and start to feel the desire to look at something combined with the awkwardness of imposing on someone else’s sorrow. You gave great descriptions here.
A few questions I have for you deal with the literature you read. Did you feel like you were more informed after reading it or did it clarify things too much for you? Did it help or hurt your experience? Did you draw your conclusions about oppression before or after reading the literature? Or was the artists’ intent clear before hand? If they were different, it could be interesting to talk about your experience before hand and then what it was like after reading the information. This could then lead into your opinion about supplying written information with visual artwork.
Hi Carly,
As I read your review I found myself asking where is the work if I want to see it? What kind of an artist is Richmond Garrick, and in what context should we, as active art viewers, begin to understand his work? I think that doing a bit of research would have supplemented your complete and beautiful visual-considerations in a huge way. I was able to find out these things by Googling his name, and as it turns out, Garrick escaped the diamond wars in Sierra Leone over a decade ago; he now uses his work as a statement against the oppression there and elsewhere. I think this bit of info allows the paintings you saw to work at much deeper levels than just the formal. Even the conceptual realms that you place the work at, seem to fall short without having all the facts. You state, “What Garrick was trying to express was the experience and the emotion of the moment.” I like that you talked about your initial reaction, that’s always important, but the review remains at that skin-deep level. His website presents him as a sort of African Cultural Renaissance Man, hosting music, and links to other similar organizations. Don’t get me wrong, I really appreciate your descriptions of the work, but what was lacking was the context. Without checking your sources, you run the risk of sounding naïve. I found this link http://blog.nj.com/gloucester/2007/03/emotional_imagery.html on his website with some info on him that I found fascinating! Even with your great descriptions, it would have only helped to include more background.
Hey Carly,
Alright, now you're talking painting. Thank you. Be careful here. A subjective description provides an immediate presence for the reader, but I would advise placing things within a larger context. Although the artist you chose to write about had little to do with Homer, it does point to some interest in classical history. While I don't feel it's necessary to refer all the way back to the classical Greece, it would be good to go further into Goya and his effect on expressionistic painting. You almost have to jump ahead a century after his death in order to see his direct effect on German and northern European Art. It branches out even further as it spreads to England and the states. It would seemingly make Garrick a continuent in a line of painters, until one stops to realize that as a movement expressionism was supplanted by French and then American Modernism. This would make those who, like myself, know nothing about Garrick, view him as an anomaly amongst his contemporaries. If you could have traced his career and included his history into the article - you hinted at this with references to the civil rights march and his daughters- along with your own personal impressions of his work, it may have done much further flesh out his own importance as well as strengthen the review. On the plus side, it's always refreshing to see actual physical painting, even if its only in reproductive form.
Jason
Carly your writing style is very personal; you really write the way you speak. I enjoyed the introduction to your article because it was like a journal entry and explained how you accidentally stumbled upon some very powerful work. I would try and be consistent with your pronouns when describing your experience; sometimes you use “you,” “we,” and “our” in occasions that call for “I” or “my.” Your article had a fast pace, and phrases like “I suddenly felt.. ,” and “I quickly realized..,” contribute to the high energy you expressed in your writing. The most interesting part of the article is when you describe the emotional impact Garrick’s work had on you. I would have liked to read a further exploration of how the paintings evoked uncomfortable feelings of vulnerability and urgency in you. All in all, your article was clear and well written.
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