Not all that glitters is gold… but sometimes it is!

Landscape with Woman Washing Her Feet

Senses fail briefly at the first glimpse of Rhona Hoffman Gallery’s newest exhibition, Mickalene Thomas’ Girlfriends, Lovers, Still Lives and Landscapes. You have to ask yourself “did something just glitter on that panel?” but when you are so distracted by all the other color patterns hanging on the walls, it takes a minute to assure yourself that, no you are not tripping, and yes those are rhinestones imbedded in acrylic paint. The extreme wow factor catches the unprepared entirely off guard and it takes an entire turn about the gallery before the casual peruser can come back to center and take a fresh look.

In her second solo-exhibition, Thomas shows a collection of photographs, collages, and paintings that reflect her unique 70’s style and glitzy technique. Some of the more recent still lives and portraits are subtler in their color and dimensions, but still manage to be in Thomas’ distinct vintage. In her past work, Thomas focused mainly on the depiction of black women, and some of the works now at Rhona Hoffman reflect that focus, but are accompanied by multiple still lives, studies in patterns, and landscapes that depart from her traditional focus. In their departure, the works reflect Thomas’ wish to draw in her audience in a different way than before, and maybe rediscover something that history missed. She attempts discovery in her reinterpretation of older painting styles such as landscape and still life reminiscent of the Hudson River School and Anne Vallayer-Coster repsectively.1

Upon second look you can stop in front of Girlfriends and Lovers, the whopping 120 x 96 inch namesake of the show, and take in the Gauguin-like boldness of color. Thomas uses acrylic to depict patterns in fabric and tones in skin in an extreme, and extremely stimulating, way. In order for the subjects to come through the flat perspective, they must be painted in bold colors and patterns as they all exist in the same plane. The result of the differentiation of surfaces by color and pattern is that the paintings are eye-catching Take, for example, the Portrait Of Aaliyah. In this painting the intensity of the yellow and orange patterned background does not detract from the focus of the painting—Aaliyah—but instead turns the focus on the woman with the juxtaposition of the vintage-toned background on the black and bright blue clothing on the woman. These clashing elements would normally mall all chances of a painting’s success, but in Thomas’ case strangely add to the paintings’ overall success and her colorful work does not detract from itself. Rather than distracting the viewers, the bold colors and patterns work together to bring them further into the works, like in Portrait of Aaliyah where the clash of bright blue on vintage yellow makes the viewer look longer and closer.

The paint and textile colors used in the photos and paintings also accentuate the message of the series of portraits.  The bold patterns and textures the textiles provide lend themselves to the boldness of the women they surround. Thomas’ portraits and installations bring the viewer’s attention to the strength of black women, particularly in the domestic sphere, generally symbolized by the subject’s position amid furniture. The message is that black women of the 20’s through 70’s are empowered by their sheer gustiness and that the artist is inspired by her relationship to her models. The looks of the faces of the models in Thomas’ photographs clearly show say “I know you’re looking and I like that you’re looking.” This alone shows Thomas’ subjects throughout history to be strong women, but the portraits also show a more stereotypical side of black women. The portrayal of the women in these paintings can be seen to be wild and untamed, almost animalistic. In her painting Landscape with Woman Washing Her Feet, Thomas discards the female figure entirely and uses leopard print as her substitute. This act, if nothing else, clearly links Thomas’ black woman with a primal nature akin to animals. The animalistic connection is not derogatory. This is a strong move for Thomas. She has taken a stance and her work holds up her view in a positive light.

The other works in the exhibit are less intriguing than the portraits or landscapes, but no less interesting in their style. The multiple studies in patterns shown in the gallery give the visitors insight into Thomas’ process and provide a mindless break from the more serious figures. The still lives of flowers are inspired by Thomas’ installations and reflect the domestic spheres in which her women thrive, but are not quite as fascinating as the other works. After all, still lives, especially of flowers, can get boring pretty quickly. The Swarovski crystals can only prolong the brief span of interest so much. Even with their symbolic importance and shiny embellishments, the still lives do not hold much attraction.

Overall, the general effect of this particular exhibition is definitely one that wows all its visitors. The portraits, landscapes, and photos will leave a lasting impression on those who see them because of their unique boldness and portrayal of women. Although the subjects represent women throughout history, their strength and character resonate through to today. One of Thomas’ goals in her series of work is to give new light to the past with reinterpretations like her twist on the Hudson River School-inspired Landscape with Woman Washing Her Feet. The crystals are another modern touch in Thomas’ work. They add shine where highlights of paint would normally factor and bring the paintings into the contemporary sphere. Of any other type of embellishing medium, these crystals can attract a crowd without a doubt. They’re new and flashy and would make even pre-teenage girls appreciate the work, not to say that they are the only ones who can. The use of crystals definitely earns my respect as an innovative form of expression. Notwithstanding the occasional lapse in interest courtesy of the still lives and sometimes the studies, the exhibit shows Thomas’ work in its best, glitzy light.

1.    Chicago, A., Exhibition Detail: Mickalene Thomas. In Exhibition Detail, 2008.

“May our headings be confusing” ~ Entropy

Letter from the Editor

Dear Readers,

We know that there is no shortage of stuffy art magazines out there to step all over your senses and opinions with their hoity-toity lingo. We also dislike how there are so few art magazines in Chicago that foster the growth of your own opinions in a more comfortable and familiar setting, rather than crush any development by saying you’re wrong. This is why the people at Allumert have come out with our own magazine. One that is young and modern and really truly reflects you.

By combining our take (and hopefully your take, but we’ll get to that later) on youth culture and art, we hope to give you the confidence you will need to go out into the massive and diverse world and get your opinions heard, whether they be on the newest pair of Jimmy Choo’s or the newest gallery downtown.

We aren’t going to tell you what to think in here, our reviews and critiques aren’t going to give you a single slant either. Instead, throughout our magazine we present multiple perspectives on a given focus for a couple of reasons. First of all, we don’t want to say that our opinions are the ‘be all end all,’ but most importantly, rather than simply telling you that this exhibit was great and those clothes are good for rags, we want you to be able to consider all the strokes and stitches in order to come up with the right answer for you. This isn’t a how-to guide to criticism—it isn’t even our central focus—but we will make understanding the criticisms in here easier by putting them in a context you can relate to. Because we want you to feel empowered, we also plan on taking suggestions, comments, reviews etc. from you and putting them in the publication, so, by all means, send them in!

What strikes us as interesting about all of this is that we really want to foster individualism, and that is reflected in everything the magazine has to offer. From the layout of the pages and the fonts, to the advertisers and the color, everything is unique and focuses on parts of the whole. Every page is different. On them you’ll find doodles, collage and other small parts tailored to the subject matter that end up making a whole magazine. The visuals are part of feeling comfortable, with the personalized, notebooky feel they give. The other part comes from our choice to focus on art and culture in our big backyard, Chi-Town. We think that focusing in on what is happening now in the city and its suburbs will be a lot more accessible to you, our readers, than including snapshots from all over the world. Because of this idea, every issue will put the spotlight on one community in Chicago. With any luck, the focus and familiarity will encourage you to step outside and learn a little without being threatened by anything overly austere or pretentious.

Our writers are as varied as you are. We, my co-editor and I, believe that everyone here form a community of peers so we don’t think it’s at all incongruous to include an article by an experienced critic right next to one by a freshmen art student. Since everybody’s perspective can add value, we include them all. Don’t be surprised to find articles in here that were run up to a decade or two ago—since you were alive then, that history is part of your past and makes up who you are today. We hope that that information, paired with more about what’s going on today will make finding our who you are today easier.

In a nutshell, this magazine should reflect you—the young and intelligent adult who wants to build him or herself as an individual and find out what that all means. Welcome to yourself!

Love and Good Luck,
Emily C. Wirtz
Co-Editor in Chief

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Vincent Fecteau: Changing it up and Challenging your senses

Hidden in the furthest corner of the first floor at the Art Institute of Chicago, behind ancient Japanese art and several rooms of contemporary works, sit Vincent Fecteau’s sculpted New Works. One out of every twenty who walks through the Vincent Fecteau: New Work exhibit might stop to take a look at the contents. The spacing of the figures on pedestals gives adequate room for them all to be observed at once and individually with equal focus, something that immediately imparts the similarities between the pieces and also their individual traits. Their distance from the walls also separates them as things apart—boldly colorful, sculpted islands in a sea of white pedestals and walls. These sculptures are not like the paintings hung or vases shown in the previous rooms. They appear to have no historical or particularly artsy appeal and little but their color recommends them to the casual tourist passing by this dead-end room. However, the deeper effects of the sculptures, those of emotion and shape and experience, wait to be discovered.
Known for transforming seashells and other random, discarded snippets into small, collaged sculptures, Fecteau departs from his traditional media into one reminiscent of grade school art.1 Fecteau’s use of papier-mâché and acrylic paint speaks to his background in collage, but those two mediums rarely lend themselves to serious artwork. The finished sculptures have succeeded in transcending the confines of an otherwise childish art project and go on to exhibit very intricate and fascinating forms. Fecteau’s sculptures, all about six to eight square feet, appear at first glance to be iterations of the same basic form. Their vivid colors strike the eyes in the same way and are all made out of papier-mâché and acrylic, but each piece is unique in its form. For the person who comes in to further observe, one look at a single sculpture is simply not enough to reveal all of its mystery—a given sculpture requires a full circle, sometimes several, to show what one view purposely keeps hidden.
The white or black paint used in conjunction with the main color adds depth and further mystery to the sculptures, as the new facets added to the form require extra looks to differentiate. Lines on the sculptures form effeminate curves but those give way or are broken up by austere edges and sharp corners and the overall effect of the juxtaposition of both intrigues the senses and makes the viewer pursue each form further. The surfaces almost call out to be touched so that their viewers may experience them more fully. The complex matrices still somehow manage to convey nothing of convolution, but create simple contours that add to the pieces’ overall stucture. Fecteau, for however little planning he put into the sculptures, cannot keep from producing incredibly intricate architecture with uncomplicated lines, a fact which speaks to his skill in design.
The sculptures are marvels not only in their shapes, but also in the small details that reveal parts of their own construction. One shows a peak of the newspaper emerging from under its paint, another a bare piece of wood, yet another a transparent coat of paint revealing the newspaper beneath. Some pieces add to this deliberate show of craft by breaking the smooth acrylic layer with various textures such as bubbles or ripples in the paint and surface. Some sculptures take themselves even further away from the look of a finished work with stains of dark liquid—whether it is the work of Fecteau’s purposeful spill or defacement by a careless owner remains unknown and unimportant. The stains and chips keep the art from its figurative pedestal of perfection and unattainaibility. The exhibit leaves its audience with feelings of fascination and lightness, and will divert the audience completely from reality with the sculptures’ power of abstraction.

The goal of these figures is to impart meaning that cannot express itself through the tacit effects of the figures on the unconscious. The use of papier-mâché presents a real barrier to the realization of such a supreme experience because it is so reminiscent of grade school art projects.2 Fecteau’s inclusion of the rough surfaces, unfinished touches, and grime further alienates the figures from any state of perfection; however, by separating the figures from such an austere category as perfection, the grimy details and incompletion connect the imperfect art with the imperfect viewer and can therefore allow for a deeper emotional experience between art and audience. The connection opened by the apparent building process and mistakes increases the ability of the work to affect the unconsciousness by absorbing the conscious mind with thoughts over imperfections. In this way Fecteau transcends the childishness of the medium by providing this opportunity for connection.

The process Fecteau used for this selection of work entails a great deal of addition, subtraction, and re-addition, all without foresight.3 The effect of this specific process on these pieces is an impression of arbitrary form—something completely mysterious, created by the lack of any specific order. The abstraction of form manifests itself in the twists and folds of the sculptures, things that feel organic and natural because they strike at the juxtaposition of masculine edges and feminine curves because of the way the curves interact with straight edges. Where curves end in edges and straight lines begin with curves, there exists a certain quality of interconnectedness among living beings. The lack of order also lends itself to that quality because a given sculpture flows into itself again and again.
On the other hand, the works all look like exercises in pure aesthetic form. Fecteau’s construction process made sure that the aspects of each form came together by being purposely built or carved so that the end results make sense. When looked at, the works do imply a certain right-ness of form—the way the works came out seems obvious to the audience in that the structures of each work look like they fit together. The architectural feel of the sculptures reflects the studied construction and the aesthetic qualities Fecteau imbued in them.

These affects are shared among the sculptures. The works exhibit complete abstraction of form at the same time as studied precision in aesthetic form. Each one manages to capture the viewer’s imagination by requiring constant reevaluations of the many facets each piece has to offer. The simplicity of the collected pieces is astounding. The clarity of form comes as a complete surprise because each sculpture is intricate in its architecture. Fecteau has transformed papier-mâché into high art, but managed to keep it in the realm of comprehensibility by retaining those details such as texture, construction, and dirt that all serve to connect the work to the viewer.

New Works is open at the Art Institute of Chicago through November 30, 2008.

1.    Vincent Fecteau. In Wikipedia, 2008.
2.    Mehal, A., Papier-mache makes light of heavy art. THe Phoenix: Diversions 2008.
3.    Rondeau, J., Vincent Fecteau New Work. In Department of Contemporary Art: Chicago, 2008.

Leland

This photo, taken of a beach in Leland, MI, looks as though it could have been taken anywhere on the north Atlantic or Pacific coasts as well as along the great lakes. Its most apparent feature is that is of a landscape merged with a waterscape.  The universality of the subject matter lends itself to the few signs of humanity in the photo as there are only two items that can be attributed to people—the boat beached high on the shore and the pile of logs in the foreground, though the origin of the pile of logs is unknown and may not have involved work by humans. Other things that lend themselves to the absence of people include the boat-less horizon and the undisturbed sand where the waves break.
The overall photo demonstrates incredible symmetry for a landscape. The sandy beach and the lighter-grey portion of sky, and the blue-grey sky and the green of the grass, though not perfectly symmetrical, almost seem to be reflections of each other about the water. The two different parts of sky, the beach, the water, and the vegetation are so separate that, although they represent one unified scene, each can be singled out as one separate component.
Although the photo is not in grey scale or black and white, the tones of all the colors in the photo are the same as they are all cool blues and muted greens. The most striking color in the photo is the bright grey of the sky because even its dull white is bright in contrast to the other colors represented in the photo. The water does contain a few different shades of green and blue that show depth but, besides the white of the cresting waves, there is nothing in the water that is particularly striking.
Each separate chunk of the photo has a completely different texture than the others in the photo. The two different parts of sky, one clouded but smooth in how it is totally undisturbed, the other marked by smooth transitions from shades of blue to grey that make that clouded portion of sky look like long ripples of jersey cloth. The sand in the foreground looks at first like any other sand that has not been trod upon; however, the sand’s surface contains gravelly lines that mark where the waves have come and left a web of fine pebbles. The grass that lines the bottom and right side of the photo follows the curve of the shore. The grass that is closest to the bottom of the photo is sparse and patches of sand show through the weed and emphasize the separate stalks of grass, making it look scratchy. The white flowers right at the bottom of the photo look almost like they were dabbed on with a sponge but detract from the coarseness of the grass with their even distribution. Further down the curve of the beach, as the grass condenses, the green turns into a softer, fluffier carpet.
The water is the only part of the photo that denotes movement. Although the dark clouds are rippled, they do not relate the presence of wind. The grass in the foreground shows best the lack of movement because, for all of the distinctly intersecting stalks, it appears unified in its uprightness and is still. In contrast, the water appears to be choppy because of the heavily rippled surface and, in its wavy state, does show movement.
The photo succeeds in breaking one scene unified by symmetry into distinct components. The colors are not surprising and could almost be considered boring if it were not for the different textures and contrast.

the top five

Classic Cookbook by philosophy®
Ever waxed philosophic during a bath? How about pondered the meaning of life mid-song in the shower? Never done that either? Well, this new product amalgamation from philosophy will put the bubbly meaning of life (shower life that is) in the palm of your hand. Philosophy® products have never failed to bring adorably packaged inspiration to consumers, and this new hit is certainly not a let down. Ten of their most popular flavors from Double Rich Hot Cocoa to Pumpkin Pie have made me a true professor of this company’s beauty philosophy. From the Philosopher’s mouth itself, “Delicious flavors, beautiful colors, and cute-as-punch packaging with inspirational messages aside, Philosophy has the hardcore medical research to put its money where its berry-stained mouth is.” The products in this bag alone have already garnered their fair share of awards, due to the fact that the each product does it’s job to make the user feel beautiful and receive first-class dermatological treatment in every tiny 2 oz. bottle.
This cutsie pick-me up is a perfect gift for all ages. Great for teens because they can change their minds about scents as often as they do their fashions; great for adults because every woman, no matter what age, still has a soft spot for treats. It is definitely juvenile, but this is bath soap we’re talking about, and those were never meant to be the height of sophistication, merely the height of relaxation.
Yeah, they are pretty small, and $40.00 might seem like a lot to shell out for a twenty ounces of bath bubbles, but cough up the cash, people, this is definitely worth it. Kind of like the cover fee to a wine-tasting bar, you have to pay up to find your favorite flavor.

Fleece, Coat, Hat… Whatever
Barely into fall and it’s already freezing down Sheridan. For this and a few other reasons, The North Face® brand clothes are Top on my list. A few years ago this mountaineering chic took off on the backs of almost every Ugg-sporting teen girl out there and they’re still going strong. At first I was mystified at the brand’s ability to stay in fashion for so long, but then the realization came when the wind tore through my generic hoodie that I discovered that the secret to this brand’s success is it’s sheer ability to keep the wearer warm. The puffy look with leggings and boots is kind of 80’s, but when you look past the fact that it’s all been done before and actually put the coat on, you’ll understand why girls, guys, and their parents are all sporting the look. The styles are generally unisex (except for the serious winter coats) and look good on everybody. Ranging from $50.00 to $165.00, the fleeces are worth the buy. In this case, giving in to the mass trend will leave you much warmer this season.

WARNING: DON’T VOTE
Youtube Video
The election is coming up. Whether you’re Republican, Democrat, somewhere in between, or nowhere on the scale, you are paying attention to this election. Top media has dubbed this election the most important in history and we are here to witness and participate in it. Consider yourself lucky that you can be a part of such an influential time. This video gets to the heart of the participation matter: Voting. The overall scheme of this video is one that uses reverse psychology to get people thinking that there are definitely reasons for them to vote and then it switches gears and gives people the inspiration to get to the polls on November 4th. The star-studded cast is practically free of partiality in the video and bands together to put out this most important message. The style of the video is pretty interactive and gives a lot of perspective. Really guys, if you don’t vote and you’re of age, then you have no reason to complain about the results.
“If you don’t care then don’t vote… You’ve got to register to vote… If you don’t your power is gone… This is really only about your future.”
Look it up at youtube.com. Share it with some of your friends, but most importantly, get involved.

boba, bubble… tapioca and fruit!
No matter what you call this stuff, it’s a delicious way to get an exotic sip of far eastern culture. Bubble tea can be found at nearly every Asian-influence restaurant in Evanston, or at least it can be found before the tapioca pearls run out. This ‘tea’ isn’t really like traditional tea at all. The drink is creamy flavored milk either served in or blended with ice, and then finished with a generous helping of tapioca pearls. These little balls are major deterrents for picky eaters, but the best part for true connoisseurs. They are slimy on the outside and chewy in the middle and the perfect balance to the incredibly sweet liquid. The flavors come in the traditional types like coconut and banana, but it’s always a good idea to experiment with exotic flavors like red bean and lychee. The best tea is found at Sashimi/Sashimi here in Evanston. They use real, fresh fruit in their blends for optimum flavor and health. These treats are definitely the fashionable things to be carrying about campus. Forget Starbucks—visit a local Asian eatery to pick up a drink.

Northwestern Football
What better to end a Top 5 list than with a football team that happens to be 5 and 0? That’s right guys; watch out for Big Ten contender Northwestern University Football Team. This year is off to a great start. Even people like me who really can’t see why so much of the population gives up full weekends to watching college, pro, and whatever other league of games have to understand and cheer when the college team that’s never been counted on as any good has pulled a total 180 to be a major contender in the league. Coached by Pat Fitzgerald, the team has no reason to hope for less than the best.
Maybe this year Ryan Stadium will be full enough to merit another aerial photo of the purple-clad fans. Even I have been drawn out of my dorm on Saturday mornings by this team, so I think that the college tradition of watching the game with the rest of the student body is in no danger of fizzling out, especially with such a record of success.