September 23 – October 12, 1970
Art Gallery, Eugenia Fuller Atwood Library
1970 BEAVER NEWS
“Grim Gallery Dims Faculty Art” by Tobi Steinberg
The fine arts faculty showed off its talents in the multi-fields of painting, drawing, printing, and interior design at the opening of its exhibition last week in the library art gallery. Unfortunately, for the artists and viewers alike, the art gallery did not show off the works to their advantage at all.
It is deplorable in a college which is somewhat unique, if not famous for offering a degree in fine arts and for having an excellent faculty, that the fruits of their labors cannot have a more complimentary area for display. To call the cold, poorly lit room adjacent to the library lecture room a “gallery” is a little presumptuous.
It was indeed difficult to fully appreciate any of the art with one row of fluorescent lights providing partial, sadly inadequate illumination. The stark contrast between the dirty maroon rug at one end and a blank, linoleum floor at the opposite end did not contribute toward an appealing atmosphere. The aesthetic contribution of orange benches aimlessly placed in the center of this sterile room is questionable; benches in a gallery are a nice touch but are superfluous unless they serve some function.
Notwithstanding the drawbacks of the environment of this exhibition, the show has some definite merits. Particularly impressive was the work of Miss Jean Francksen, associate professor of fine arts. It was almost impossible to ignore her immense caricaturization of our beloved national emblem, which was presented in various forms. Although her four small water colors were comparably minute in size, they were well-deserving of close survey and appreciation.
The influence of Henri Matisse was noticeable in the works of Mrs. Ruth Lehrer, lecturer in fine arts. As evidenced by the titles of her three outstanding paintings, “Green Border Painting,” “Flower Border Painting,” and “White Flower Painting,” the decorative nature of the outlying areas of the compositions was of primary importance.
Mrs. Alma Alabilikian, a noted interior designer whose talents are heavily drawn upon by the interior design majors, displayed an admirable plan for the Student Center of nearby St. Joseph’s College.
Of subtle interest was Mrs. Ann Williams’ drawing entitled “Fishtown Patriot.” The crisp lines are a beautiful foil for the array of patriotic symbols clustered to one side of the sketch. Whether intentional or not, several concentric circles illusively appear as one views the composition from a distance.
The contributions of Mr. Jack Davis, chairman of the art department, follow a distinctive pattern of repeating forms and color change. This interesting pattern is especially well-defined in his “Baroque Image”; the most intriguing painting on display, however, is “Passage to Bethlehem” which gently captures one’s attention and draws the viewer into its quiet realm of motion.
In general, the exhibition was a disappointing one, not because of the quality of the work, but rather due to the haphazard, somewhat sloppy way in which it was displayed. The artists within Beaver’s community certainly deserve a finer showplace for their aesthetic contributions; a work of art should not have to struggle with a room to emerge successfully; on the contrary, the room should lend itself to the art to show it off and emerge as a unity – as a true exhibition.
