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Echoes of the jungle
"Sum of Parts': Bermudez and Marcuse at Drexel
A bit of the jungle lurks in "Sum of Parts," an exhibition of works by Henry Bermudez, born in Venezuela, and Michelle Marcuse, born in South Africa. Each painting reveals a complex world of images that we sort of recall from a primordial dream.
Henry Bermudez, who taught art in a small native village by the jungle in Venezuela for three years after graduating from art school, begins with large sheets of paper covered with acrylic paints. Then he draws circular, interwoven patterns accented with dots of black. After varnishing it, he cuts the paper in the patterns. When they're assembled, these abstract meandering forms become snakes— a symbol of life in Aztec culture— as well as tattooed human figures and jungle animals.
Look closely at French Kiss (2012) and you will find a full-bodied female figure riding a leopard. The outsize testicles refer to the fact that female leopards are promiscuous by nature.
Batman rises
In another assemblage, Batman rises in all his glory amidst jungle vegetation embellished by swirling red blossoms below the central wall installation. The artist's recent additions to these intricacies of line and form are seven black-painted plaster molds cast in abstract designs that seem to contain the activity. They add a sense of depth and momentary stability to the overall composition.
Although Bermudez now lives and works in Philadelphia, he retains an intimate relationship with jungle flora and fauna that adds another dimension to his art. His heritage (like ours) is urban, but it contains a memory we haven't experienced.
High above reality
Michelle Marcuse envisions a different environment with pen, ink and graphite on six irregularly shaped Hydrostone slabs hung on walls. She depicts worlds rooted in the most transitory aspects of nature and viewed from a great distance.
Her Second Thoughts (2012) is a view high above reality. We're aware of a fertile land surrounded by watery depths. This is a world where birds in flight, as well as close-up views of seashells and vegetation, provide symbols of life.
Unexpected Volubility (2012) visualizes a seemingly transitory image. Is it a view that was apparent only for a moment? Or an image of a dream without substance? The diversity of South Africa's Cape culture represents a world that cannot be defined by a single sentence.
It's exciting to realize that our contemporary art environment provides room for multiple forms of expression. Every artist, this show reminds us, is welcome to his or her unique form. That form needn't pay homage to any specific artistic icons. The best artists simply follow their own visions and share them with the rest of us.♦
To read responses, click here.
Henry Bermudez, who taught art in a small native village by the jungle in Venezuela for three years after graduating from art school, begins with large sheets of paper covered with acrylic paints. Then he draws circular, interwoven patterns accented with dots of black. After varnishing it, he cuts the paper in the patterns. When they're assembled, these abstract meandering forms become snakes— a symbol of life in Aztec culture— as well as tattooed human figures and jungle animals.
Look closely at French Kiss (2012) and you will find a full-bodied female figure riding a leopard. The outsize testicles refer to the fact that female leopards are promiscuous by nature.
Batman rises
In another assemblage, Batman rises in all his glory amidst jungle vegetation embellished by swirling red blossoms below the central wall installation. The artist's recent additions to these intricacies of line and form are seven black-painted plaster molds cast in abstract designs that seem to contain the activity. They add a sense of depth and momentary stability to the overall composition.
Although Bermudez now lives and works in Philadelphia, he retains an intimate relationship with jungle flora and fauna that adds another dimension to his art. His heritage (like ours) is urban, but it contains a memory we haven't experienced.
High above reality
Michelle Marcuse envisions a different environment with pen, ink and graphite on six irregularly shaped Hydrostone slabs hung on walls. She depicts worlds rooted in the most transitory aspects of nature and viewed from a great distance.
Her Second Thoughts (2012) is a view high above reality. We're aware of a fertile land surrounded by watery depths. This is a world where birds in flight, as well as close-up views of seashells and vegetation, provide symbols of life.
Unexpected Volubility (2012) visualizes a seemingly transitory image. Is it a view that was apparent only for a moment? Or an image of a dream without substance? The diversity of South Africa's Cape culture represents a world that cannot be defined by a single sentence.
It's exciting to realize that our contemporary art environment provides room for multiple forms of expression. Every artist, this show reminds us, is welcome to his or her unique form. That form needn't pay homage to any specific artistic icons. The best artists simply follow their own visions and share them with the rest of us.♦
To read responses, click here.
What, When, Where
“Sum of Partsâ€: Works by Henry Bermudez and Michelle Marcuse. Through September 28, 2012 at Pearlstein Gallery, Nesbitt Hall, Drexel University, 33rd and Market Sts. (215) 895-2548 or www.drexel.edu/westphal/resources/venues/LeonardPearlsteinGallery.
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