Students can observe a room full of motley art pieces when the Gaddis Geeslin Gallery, located in Art Building F, will be exhibiting the works of four different artists from various areas of the country. The exhibit will feature charcoal drawings by Bryan Ritchie, abstract oil paintings by Melissa Gwyn, sculptures by Anne Mondro and distorted surrealist paintings by Anthony Pontius. The SHSU art department will hold a reception for the exhibit on Thurs. Oct. 27 in the gallery following a presentation by artist Harrell Fletcher in room 108 of Art Building E.
“So far, this has been the most popular this semester,” Debbie Davenport, Audio/Visual librarian for the department of art said. “There’s so many different kinds of art styles. The charcoal drawings are very large and dramatic, and a lot of students are drawn to them. Especially beginning art majors because they do a lot of drawing in the lower level classes. It’s very whimsical.”
Ritchie’s charcoal drawings present a harmonic clash between the abstract and realistic. Gwyn’s thick oil paintings on wood panels resemble abstractly resemble foliage to give homage to vanitas, a painting style popular in the 16th and 17th century depicting the impending mortality of human life.
“Melissa has a lot of thick paint which makes the painting seem like its very floral and organic,” Davenport said. “You don’t know if you’re looking at flowers, vegetables or vines.”
Pontius’ works are surrealist paintings portrayed onto small canvases and created with immense detail. His canvases are then creatively damaged to add to the effect of his vision. Mondro’s sculptures are made from wax, steel, wood, leather and felt and are used to depict emotions created through the body and it’s illnesses. Her sculptures allude to concerns within the medical field and its patients.
“When you look at them, you don’t know what you’re seeing,” Davenport said. “It looks very organic and scientific as if you’re looking at flesh and bone.”
In addition to the works of these four contemporary artists, videos by Douglas Gordon and David Claerbout will be exhibited in the New Media/Projects Gallery. The reception is free for all students and open to the public.