Artists impress at Loyola Senior Art Exhibition
Posted by aaoueille on May 4, 2011
By Avery Aoueille
Japanese relief, sexual violence, death, and an artist’s interpretation of her face are among the issues illustrated by Loyola University Chicago artists at the 2011 Senior Art Exhibition.
Regardless of the medium, the art revealed at the Ralph Arnold Fine Arts Annex has one common underlying purpose: to evoke.
Evoke, it does. As artists explain the inspiration behind their work, the words “unbelievable” and “powerful” are those murmured by many spectators in reaction to the pieces.
One artist was especially affected by the disaster in Japan and the photos of the aftermath.
When Matt Gale, a 22-year-old visual communications major from Ohio saw a photo of a father holding a child whom he had just pulled out of wreckage, it served as a driving force for the four prints and mural he created depicting both Japanese culture and the current crisis.
“The look on the father’s face is of such despair as he is holding this child,” Gale said, describing the image. “So, I wanted to try to do something to draw attention to it and provide a resource for someone to take this information and actually do something with it.”
Other artists created pieces in reflection of the societal issues present in our world today.
“Sexual violence has always been something that is very interesting to me because it is something that I still can’t quite understand why somebody would feel that it is acceptable or something that they should do to another person,” said Chelsea Friel, 21, a visual communication major from Omaha whom used sexual violence as the theme in her art.
Her black and white panels that expand the entire length and width of a wall display the true testimonies of three women who were sexually abused in addition to the last panel which states the confession of the Central Park jogger rapist.
“I want people to feel empathy,” said Friel.
The many spectators who wandered through the different rooms in the gallery were impressed with the variety of work and would often have a look of awe on their faces.
“Their passion was very evident in their intricate works and I was very inspired by the work,” said Anne Stevens, 21, a communications major from St. Louis.
Stevens commented on one piece in particular that portrayed a religious figure holding technology of today as though it were a cross or rosary: “It was thought provoking because it acted as a commentary on how today’s society has become somewhat detached from religion and become more reliant upon modern technology,” Stevens said.
Karin Kittelson, a 26-year old fine arts major from Chicago described the process behind creating her three pastel self-portraits and how they “really started becoming vehicles for personal issues.”
Kittelson, who divided her face into different planes and used vibrant colors in her self-portraits, also explained the reasoning behind her decision to differ the traditional self-portrait. “I wanted them to be human, but still open for interpretation,” she said.
Lillian Cox, a 22-year-old senior and marketing major from Cleveland who came to the exhibition to support her friends, was both surprised and impressed by the art throughout the gallery.
“It has exceeded my expectations and I am enjoying the art far more than I anticipated,” Cox said. “Some art can be stuffy,” she explained. “But, this art is so personal and expressive.”
A member from the Fine Arts Department, the sponsor of the 2011 Senior Art Exhibition, which goes through June 13, conveyed the success of the event.
“About 260 people have come today so far and we are not even half-way through the event, so that is very exciting,” said Sallyann Price, a 21-year-old junior and an english major from Detroit. “For many seniors, this is the highlight of their arts career at Loyola,” Price said.
