For beginners in fine art appreciation, there is no better place to start than the Newcomb Art Gallery. That's right, Newcomb has an art gallery. The gallery, located on the third floor of Newcomb, is currently holding a juried exhibition of student art.
Great, but what the hell is a juried exhibition? Students submit their artwork for display, and a jury of other student artists, art historians and faculty recognize top pieces. For artists, these shows have a bit more credibility than non-competitive displays -- winning one of these bad boys looks great on a resume. Dozens of University students submitted their artwork to the Eighth Annual Juried Art Show, on display in Newcomb Art Gallery through April 8.
Okay, now we know there is an art gallery with a juried exhibition, so what do you do once you get there?
As a fledgling art connoisseur, one of the first things you'll want to notice is the medium of an artwork, be it oil paintings or pencil sketches. At this year's juried exhibition, students flex their artistic muscle and display a range of working talent from charcoal city scenes to acrylic abstractions to watercolor landscapes.
Next you will want to be aware of the artworks' genre. Is it green with trees and grass? Probably a landscape. Is it totally unrecognizable? Abstraction. The 2005 juried exhibition features these genres, as well as portraiture and photographs of Spain, little children and haunting, vacuous spaces around Grounds.
Most important to you as an art aficionado is how the piece makes you feel. If the scene of a marshy dock at sunset reminds you of something hanging in your grandfather's house, you can say it's nostalgic. If the painting of a clear stripper heel and mannequin head circumscribed by a string of bright orange lights makes you think "Vegas, baby," you can call it edgy. If the photograph of black and white children staring at each other from opposite sides of a street makes you aware of racial gaps, the piece is socially conscious.
If the last few paragraphs have whet your appetite for art, swing by the Newcomb Art gallery before April 8 and test drive your new critical skills. The exhibition has a People's Choice Award -- you can cast your vote for that little firecracker photograph of a flamenco dancer -- you know, the one that used the photographic medium to capture a fleeting moment and make the viewer feel the charge and kinesis of the dancer... blah, blah, blah.
You get the point.
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