The Blaffer Gallery has painted its walls, opened its doors and lifted the curtain to Amy Sillman’s exhibition, Suitors ‘ Strangers.
"Her approach to painting has proven highly influential for a whole generation of young artists," Blaffer Gallery Curator Claudia Schmuckli said in a release.
In art school, Sillman was told to paint in only one form, but the artist strayed away from that paradigm and chose to paint in between representational and abstract painting. Sillman is not afraid to use different types of mediums in her work, such as knives, sponges and brushes. She is considered one of the most important female artists of today’s generation, and her paintings summon a number of emotions and question the art of painting today.
Sillman’s piece, "Conjurer," pulls the viewer’s eye to the center of the image, and navigates their gazes down. Different shades of green form analytical lines at the bottom, and hidden colors of red, purple and orange form the top portion of the piece. A snowy-like substance appears with a figure in the lower right corner.
While there are some artists who take a day or two to create a painting, Sillman takes longer: She questions and examines her paintings until there is no more questioning. This shows in her paintings, where visible layers mirror the artist’s thought process.
Advertising senior and artist Jasmine Moses attended Blaffer’s opening night and was impressed by the Sillman’s work.
"I love the colors, the texture and the emotions behind the paintings," she said. "Each one of Sillman’s paintings is looked at differently."
Moses, a frequent visitor to Blaffer, said she has seen previous gallery exhibitions but this one tops her list of favorites, because of the questions the paintings raise.
Amy Sillman: Suitors ‘ Strangers will be on view through Nov. 10. For more information, contact the Blaffer Gallery at (713) 743-9528 or visit www.blaffergallery.org
