Every time I walk into the Contemporary Art Gallery on campus, I am always impressed with the art. Currently Linda Dautreuil’s Convergent States exhibit is on display, and I was captivated during the hour I spent exploring it.
One of Dautreuil’s paintings that caught my eye was “Good Friday,” a piece comprised of acrylic on masonite that immediately made me think of church. The painting consisted of three square images side-by-side: the first image was a fish on a plate, the second a pattern of reddish crosses and the third a circle of gold squiggles.
Although the third image perplexed me, I thought it was brilliant how I knew the painting was about God just by looking at it. The use of rusty orange, maroon and dark gold to depict the somber mood of Good Friday is striking, and I couldn’t help circling back around to stare at this piece more than once.
Most of Dautreuil’s paintings were abstract, containing few or no recognizable figures, so in the “Good Friday” painting, the fish and crosses stood out among the bold streaks of color in her other pieces. In other paintings, I could pick out human silhouettes, faces, some animals and even the shape of a cup, all of which stood out amongst the vivid color palettes and patterns rendered on the canvases.
Usually, abstract art is not to my taste, but I found that Dautreuil’s bold use of color and texture drew me into even the most abstract of her paintings.
Two pieces that stood out to me were “Variation 16: No. 4” and “Variation 16: No. 6.” These two paintings were acrylic and wax crayon on cradled panel, and the thick layers of different bold colors and materials to create geometric shapes gave both works a visually appealing 3-D quality.
Something I love about Dautreuil’s Convergent States exhibit is that each painting is unique, and it amazes me that the paintings arranged in groups mesh together as well as stand out as individual works.
In the back middle of the gallery is a smaller exhibit made up of works by seven professional printmakers, which adds to the variety displayed in the art gallery.
I know not everyone can appreciate modern art, but for people with any appreciation for the arts, especially art majors or students who must take art history courses, this and any other exhibits on display in the CAG are well worth viewing.