By Hannah Botjer—
People are affected differently by their environment. Their lives, hopes, and dreams twisted by what happens around them. One could say that even the lives of strangers influence how we live our own. The art exhibit “Populous,” at the Harold B. Lemmerman Gallery in Hepburn Hall, seeks to explore the impact people have on the spaces they live in.
The exhibit is unique in the plentitude of multiple interpretations of environments by an array of artists. Upon visiting the exhibit, I was confused by, what seemed like, the lack of relativity between the works. However, the more I admired the paintings the more I took from them.
For every artist’s representation of a space came a different interpretation from the viewer. I couldn’t name a personal favorite; every piece speaks differently, further captivating the viewer.
To artist Daniel Brophy, his works are imaginative autobiographies to everyone in a different way. His paintings touch upon common themes such as religion and family.
“The world is a machine of knowledge and it mixes, blends, with my personal narratives,” Brophy wrote in his statement.
Artist Kirkland Bray watched the world change around him as he grew up in a suburb, affecting his view of art.
“I have literally seen cities grow on top of cities. This staggering, often misguided growth is reflected in my art. I am trying to convey the struggle between city, suburb and countryside. Their co-existence and how I portray it in my work is what challenges and excites me,” Bray wrote in his statement.
The paintings use different mediums and methods to get their point across. The painting Adventure Cruise Lines by Kirk Bray is composed of three canvases and depicts a bridge entering the frame from the left of the composition leading into a crusie ship on the far right.
Ghost, Grit & The lost Game by Daniel Brophy depicts a city with common advertisements having turned in to an overgrown cemetery. In the dark scene there is a car that crashed, as though forgotten. The lively city seems to be forgetting its past.
Populous opens the viewer’s eyes to how different people see environments in comparison to the life they live. The gallery is open until October 25, Monday through Friday, from 11:00am to 5:00 p.m. The exhibition closes with the artists’ talk at 6:00 p.m. on October 25.
