|
Van Maltese, Trompe L'oeil Device, 2025, oxidized silver and enamel, courtesy of Cooper Cole Gallery
|
|
Trompe L'oeil
Meaning “deceiving the eye” in French, trompe l’oeil emerged as an art term in the 19th century. It originally was used to describe hyper-realistic, three-dimensional paintings. Not all optical illusions are granted the title, though. The key is intent. The artist has to go into the piece with the purpose of deceiving the audience. This awareness leads to a truly dimensional creation, both visually and emotionally. The ability to create realistic paintings became less appealing with the rise of photography. Contemporary trompe l’oeils have gone beyond paintings and into an array of mediums. Van Maltese uses enamel and oxidized silver to create an array of life-like flies. Grouped together on the back wall of the Heiter Gallery, Matese’s piece invokes a feeling of discomfort and unease despite the knowledge that the flies are not real. Learn more about the history of trompe l’oeils with the link below, and stop by the Schneider Museum of Art to see Van Maltese's piece before Saturday when our exhibition closes.
https://www.thecollector.com/what-is-trompe-l-oeil/
|
|
Michelle Grabner, Untitled, 2024-25, bronze, courtesy of the artist
|
|
Gender and Art
Linda Nochlin’s 1971 essay “Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists?” was the first major publication to interrogate gender biases in art history. Despite the feminization of aesthetics and beauty, the most well-known and recognizable names in the art world are men. Women have historically been denied access to the world of fine art. Common excuses were that the process of painting was “too intense” or “complicated” for a woman to comprehend. Art forms like portraiture have been looked down upon as low-class art because of their perceived simplicity, and were therefore one of the few art forms women could engage with. While the art canon is slowly being revised to include the overlooked women throughout history, artist Michelle Grabner brings attention to the art of women’s invisible labor. Textiles, cooking, and other homemaking tasks are highlighted in her exhibition Underdone Potato as creative expressions where beauty was created from scarcity. Her work focuses on the material reality of women during wartime and the art that exists within it. Learn more about the expanding American art canon and women artists with the link below, and find Michelle Grabner’s Underdone Potato in the Main Gallery of the Schneider Museum of Art.
https://www.nga.gov/educational-resources/uncovering-america/women-and-art
|
|
|
Henri Matisse, L'Escargot (The Snail), 1958, lithograph, courtesy of private collection
|
|
Materiality
During the mid-20th century, conceptual artists began moving away from art as pure representation. Materiality, or the relationship between artist, process, materials, and audience, became a point of fascination. In a world focused on rapid production and digitalization, the focus on materiality was used to question mass consumerism and force viewers to engage with work as an object of multiple parts. This in turn, challenged the materials to move beyond the traditions they were held to. Sculptures of found materials blend to create different forms and textures, mixed media forces interactions between opposing visual languages, and technology became integrated with art. An overlooked medium in this expansion and exploration was paint. As part of the classical fine art world, it was regarded as stiff with not much more to be done with it. Jason Stopa’s curated exhibition Angel of History hopes to challenge the dated associations with paint. The works he’s chosen show the dialogue between past and present abstract paintings, creating a timeline of innovation and relationship. Angel of History features seven artists across two centuries that test the limitations and untapped potential of the medium. Learn more about the concept of materiality in art with the link below, and find Angel of History in the Heiter and Treehaven Gallery of the Schneider Museum of Art starting September 25th.
https://jerwoodvisualarts.org/art-theory-glossary/materialist-aesthetics/
|
|
Discover More!
Tuesday Tours
Join us on Tuesdays at 12:30pm for a FREE Docent Led Tour of our current exhibition. Registration is not required but recommended. Register Now
Inside the Museum Archive
Visit the Inside the Museum Archive to read past editions.
|
|
 Subscribe to our YouTube Channels
|
|
| The Schneider Museum of Art and the Oregon Center for the Arts now have YouTube channels. Subscribe today to stay up to date on all the art happenings at SOU. |
|
|
|
|
From the Archive
(VIDEO) Creative Industries Discussion: Louise Mandumbwa
|
|
|
|
|
|
