Sheldon Berlyn (1929-2020), UB Professor Emeritus

Former faculty of Studio Art Sheldon Berlyn passed away 12 April 2020.  I was sorry to hear about this but glad I had the opportunity to see him again at the 2015 Finger Lakes Exhibition at the Rochester, NY Memorial Art Gallery.  It was an honor to be in the same show.  Back in the 1970s as an Art student, I always appreciated that he tried to assess my artwork with empathy.   

Best to his family and friends.

 

The Procrustean Bed of Judgement

        Procrustes, son of Poseidon, was a figure in Greek story who lived in Attica (sorry, not Attica, NY or the prison but a region in which is the city of Athens, Greece).  A rude and discourteous fellow, Procrustes was said to take passersby and lie them down on a bed.   If too short, then he would stretch them out until they fit; if too long, then he would chop off the excess until they did (as in the vase-painting here).

        While that’s enough to make him a candidate for Attica state prison, it has also become a figure of speech to describe particular judgements made with preconceived standards.  Granted, any judgement has a preconceived standard according to some foundational understanding as to what is appropriate.  And yet, it is one thing to judge the weight of a guinea pig and another to judge the best flavor of ice cream.  

        An Latin adage says it best, de gustibus non disputandum est or “there’s no point arguing about taste.”

        Does this apply to the visual Fine Arts?  I think so.  It’s one thing to judge an artwork based upon some formal application of what the artist was trying to accomplish and it is another to make those distinctions according to what you think it should present.  

        E.g., if the artist was painting a still-life, then one may make distinctions based upon that.  Of course, it’s not just any still-life as there is more than one way to do this.  And so, one makes leeway for the artist’s take on the method and the subject matter instead of presuming that there is only one acceptable way.  

        The latter indicates the standard of the Procrustean bed by presuming a preconceived standard.  The “bed” is the preconceived notion as to what is Art, and in making decisions as to how an artwork is Art, unless one can stretch or shorten the artwork’s ideas to fit the standard, then likely the Procrustean critic will dismiss the artwork. 

        I know that it’s a challenge to me to review unfamiliar artwork that doesn’t meet what I would consider to be hallmarks of intriguing expression.  That’s why, usually, I tend to caution.  This wasn’t always the case as decades ago I would be too quick to dismiss artwork that didn’t meet whatever was my standard.  

        Now, however, I try to meet the artwork on its own terms in the dialogue between viewer and Art.  It’s not easy, and sometimes I still tend to think that “this looks like…” or “this should be more like…” instead of allowing the art to speak as Art and for itself.

Gallery II slideshow

Here is another art show for viewing.

Gallery I slideshow

You can view these and more in the Gallery I link but I put together a slideshow of most of the works in there.

Cat's in the Cradle?

Here we go again, trying to complete artwork when Roxy decides to hunker down in the cradle I'm making for a sheet of acrylic and a hardboard panel.  Hey, who's the boss here?

28th Regional Artists Exhibition for Western NY

In Anticipation of My Last Birthday; mixed-media on glass and panel, 26" x 32"

It is always good to be appreciated (okay, maybe it's better when the appreciation comes through selling artwork), and I'm glad that one of my two artworks gained entry into the 28th Regional Artists Exhibition for Western New York.  The exhibit will be on display from August 23 to September 27 at the Artists Group Gallery on North Street in Buffalo, NY.  The judge was UB Photography professor John Opera, who selected my mixed-media artwork In Anticipation of My Last Birthday.

In Anticipation is another experiment in mixed-media, using glass as one of the drawing surfaces.  This was the first time I used glass though not the first time I used a transparent surface, having used an acrylic sheet a few times previously.  Not only does it give another obvious physical dimension to the visual, but offers other opportunities as to how to compose on two 2-D levels.

Two Shows at Beyond the Barrel 2019: Power and Emerging Artists

The Niagara Arts & Cultural Center is presenting their 15^th Beyond the Barrel Art Exhibit and the theme of Power, drawing upon the Niagara heritage of the Falls, hydroelectric power, and the legacy of Nikola Tesla.  Although the broad theme they left open to artists.  I entered Atomic Split into exhibit, offering an artwork about nuclear power.  The show runs from July 13 to August 25.  

Simultaneously, the NACC offers another exhibit called Emerging Artists.  Attempting to draw upon the many kinds of experimental artists as well as new media in digital, video, and literary forms, this should be an intriguing if not also a fascinating display.  For this exhibit the judges chose my Reservation which is in line of a series of artwork I have created the past couple years using acrylic sheets or glass as a base for the imagery.

Both shows open Saturday, July 13, from 5 to 9 pm.