OCR Text |
Show Fine Arts Museum shows Thiebaud By William L. Smith A pie as the subject for a painting? True, it does sound a little weird, although that is exactly what Wayne Thiebaud does in his current exhibition at tho Utah Miispnm nf Fine Arts. Park Bldg., which opened Sept. 22. This is an excellent representative collection of Thiebaud's work organized by the Pasadena Art Museum in collaboration with several other museums around the country. Thiebaud is in the current group of "new wave Pop artists, however, this artist is uniquely different from his contemporaries, such as Andy Warhol. The success of his works depends greatly upon the sensuality he puts on the canvas through color and paint texture. Ordinarily, the subject matter of "foodstuffs" would be horribly bland as a composition, but with Thiebaud's superb technique of building great amounts of paint on the canvas (called "alia prima" and "impasto"), the dull, white canvas becomes transformed into a dynamically, kinetic work of art. The artist's pies, cakes, ice creams and hors d'oeuvres seem to project from the canvas and become something extraordinarily real. Visual Feasts Thiebaud's works are truly like visual feasts. Too many believe the artist's usage of food articles as a subject for composition is done to show the vulgarity and revolution that he sees in American eating habits. Thiebaud denies this by saying, "If these foods are revolting they are so only to a restricted group of people... .They are only revolting to a gourmet, others of us lap them up with considerable enjoyment.... I Delieve anyone who doesn't like hamburger is a food snob." To make his foods appear deliciously eatable, Thiebaud paints in a realistic and traditional style which emphasizes the sensual delighfs to be found in pure color and paint texture. He relishes on the beauty that is in eachobject or painted food, like an architect finds in a beautiful building. It is as if the artist attempts to perfect the food object that he has created on canvas. The portraits by Thiebaud are again done in the realistic style, with great emphasis upon detail. His portrait of "Girl With Ice Cream" depicts well this style. It presents in remarkable clarity a girl seated in a blue and green bathing suit with red stripes eating a strawberry ice cream cone. Each section of the portrait is done in striking detail, eliminating a central focal point. Thiebaud believes that each part of the painting is as important as any other part. A nose is as important as the ear; the ice cream cone as important as the face. His removal of any painted backgrounds and horizonal points adds to this effect of one central and whole entity. This leaves no distraction in the composition or the viewer to become disturber, ith. Comments With Distant Eye Thiebaud is separated from his peers. His influence for color came mainly from seeing works of Van Gogh and Monet. He comments on his society but with a distant eye. He does not reject what he sees, rather, he projects all the beauty and simplicity that is in the object through careful usage of light, vivid color and texture. The Wayne Thiebaud exhibition is highly recommended for the person who is interested in new developments in art and in seeing a well organized exhibit featuring the work of one of the very few excellent "pop" artists painting in this country. The exhibit will be continuing at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts until Oct. 27. Thiebaud will be giving a lecture in Salt Lake City at the University on Oct. 25 at 8 p.m. The public is invited. |