Painting Privately/Sharing Publicly
06/07/2016
During final crits sophomores in Painting shared new work and spoke about how their practices have evolved throughout a spring studio taught by Professor David Frazer 70 PT (below left), who heads the department.
As each artist presented his or her work, discussion revolved around questions from fellow makers about process, techniques and aesthetics. After learning to sew this year, Victoria Choi 18 PT (below) began experimenting with fabric painting and says that she likes “the invitation for accident” the medium affords.
Exploring the politics of gender and the body through painting, Rose Keeffe 18 PT devoted the semester to honing her skills in both classical and – as with her digitally-rendered, hand-painted triptych (below) – contemporary styles.
In another work, Keeffe depicts former reality TV performer and now candidate for president Donald Trump as a scantily-clad 1950s pinup girl. The piece displays a “[sense] of humor and blatancy” that Frazer encouraged the artist to pursue. And Keeffe wasn’t the only painter with distorted visions of Trump on her mind.
“This is a public activity that we do in private,” Frazer said in commending students for their evolving mastery of subject matter and material. He also urged rising juniors to “invest in all parts of a painting with the same energy as those that interest you the most.”
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