Burchfield Penney Art Center

This week I visited the Burchfield and the “An Overabundance of Detail” exhibit really captured my interest.  The title of the exhibit fit the theme very well, as many of the works in the collection seemed simple, yet had exceptional detail with a closer look. 

This particular gallery had only white walls and the lighting consisted of small spotlights on the ceiling as well as a boxed in skylight.  The interior architecture of the space was very minimal – there was basically just the wood floor, a glass door, and the plastic pedestals for the artwork which were encased in glass.  There was space to walk around each pedestal in order to see every side of the art pieces.  The movement of the viewer therefore was meandering amongst these artworks, as well as looking at the pieces which were mounted on the wall.  However, the movement was generally from the front of the gallery to the back.
The floor plan of the Burchfield Penney can be found here:
http://www.burchfieldpenney.org/pdf/BPAC_Floor_Plan.pdf

The artworks were organized randomly in this meandering fashion, all at least 5 feet from each other.  There were multiple works from each featured artist, so there were many similarities of the pieces overall, but most of the works by the same artists were not placed next to each other.  All of the works also shared the similarity of simplicity and immense detail.  However, they did differ in the media and techniques used to achieve this, as well as their overall meanings.  Most of the works were three dimensional and therefore not framed, but all works were labeled with a white card detailing the title, artist, year, and media used.

One of the first works that caught my eye was “I Glow for You” by Felice Koenig.  This 2010, 3 foot by 3 foot work consisted of layers of acrylic paint on canvas to achieve a glossy and textured look.   It consisted of many white, red, pink, and yellow dots.  I would consider this work to be representational and possibly include modified images of eyes or cells.  Koenig’s theory behind her artwork is that the use of patterning can actually make a viewer pay attention to the details.  This work exemplifies the elements and principles of texture, color, rhythm, and harmony.  The yellow dots in “I Glow for You” reminded me of octopus eyes, while the pinkish elements reminded me of human insides.  This was very fitting as Koenig’s concept in her artwork is the vulnerability of the body.  Therefore, I interpreted this piece to be about the beauty of the human body, or seeing beauty in small details.

Another artwork I chose to analyze was “Vessel #87 (Span)” by Dennis Nahabetian.  This work is about 1 foot by three quarters of a foot and was made of copper, bronze, and pigment and is dated 2008.  This piece was representational as it contained a modified image of a bridge.  The principles and elements utilized b y Nahabetian include form, line, and rhythm.  This work actually reminded me of a blueprint as well as a bridge.  Therefore, I think this work goes beyond being a decorative vessel to an object that speaks of the attention to detail required in any art.

Finally, I focused on “Untitled 2010” by Carolyn Panzica, a sugar string on sugar base work measuring about 1.5 square feet.  This work actually looked like a cake, with diagonal lines (some flat, some wavy).  Colors used were red, yellow, blue, and green.  The principles and elements involved in this piece were line, form, color, proportion, texture, and movement.  Besides a cake, this work also reminded me of architecture and I related it to how when I become an urban planner, I will have to work with the environment (such as the sun, fire, water, and plant life that the colors may represent).  

Before I decided to study urban planning, I was very interested in architecture.  Therefore, I enjoyed taking this perspetive of analyzing a space and how it was designed to guide the gallery guests through their viewing experience.  I think the Burchfield is very well done and therefore I liked the atmosphere at this gallery moreso than at the Albright-Knox.  I also am very happy that the Burchfield is LEED Certified!