This image gives off an overall creepy overtone. It almost seems like a masked specter is floating about creeping down the street. The figure appears as if they’re cloaked or draped with something shawl-like with a polka dotted undershirt, drifting through what I can only describe as a mix between a forest or perhaps a bridge with a fog, a bed of chaos or some spark of activity leaving a mist or veil in front of the figure.
Love and Pain by Edvard Munch 1895 (oil on canvas)
This painting evokes a great sadness, everything about the pose screams this is a hug meant to quell a great agony. A shared sadness between the two figures maybe a loss or tragedy has befallen them and this is the only way that seems correct to comfort one another. Even though we see very little of these characters’ faces the emotions are clear and you can almost hear the muffled sound the man sobbing might make. As well as the quiet consolation of the woman holding him.
This image evokes a lot of emotions from the sporadic and bold use of these wild and swaying brush strokes to create such an interesting abstraction. It “looks” like a caravan by some stretch of the imagination, maybe even a circus caravan by the wheel in the lower half of the painting and the bars on the cage that appear near the middle of the painting. It seems to be more composed of figures and shapes perhaps to accentuate the constant and frequent movements of its members, though a large number of these shapes and forms look monstrous or figure like to me.
One game that I’ve been keeping in the back of my mind since I first saw it would definitely have to be Balan’s Wonderworld. I’m unaccustomed to this game’s gameplay and story, but it’s art style, music, and premise are all too familiar. This game has carried a nostalgic taste in my mouth since I first laid eyes on it… which I suppose is weird for my eyes and mouth to have such a connection but I digress. With a similar feel to the late 1990s of the famous gaming company Sega, this game really captures a feel for what it’s going for. With a message that tells us of what negativity and positivity can truly mean, you feel like you’re in for a ride. Now, I can’t entirely recommend it, just simply because I’ve heard of the bad reviews it has received, but I can’t allow the mastery of music in this game to be overlooked.
With a great use of trumpets and jazz, the soundtrack is interspersed with love and a devotion to musical theatre and plays. It’ll remind you plenty of what you love about those things and more. It might even prompt an interest in the game itself. Here’s a playlist of the game’s soundtrack:
Editor’s Note: PLEASE listen to the Final Boss Clear Musical, it’s a musical masterpiece, which is an understatement. Now for me to get back to listening to Balan’s Bout.
Spring is here! And with the new season coming around and classes ending soon, there’s a lot to be excited about! Especially for our art department, as we’ve got an all new exhibit by the Director of the Galleries himself, Jim Langer. Properly titled “So, Shall we Dis/Stance?”, this quarantine-themed collection features works by artists from all over our campus including Elizabeth Hawkins, Sasha Cline, Jakym Clark, Jordan Deaton, Christopher Pierce, Destinee Allen, and Angelica Vejar from the art department.
Additionally, it’s a collaboration with professional artists and alumni of the college, featuring pieces from Maryse Lörtscher, Mark Brown, Katie O’Gara, and Scott Raynor.
I want to give special attention to this beautiful work titled “Life and Death” by Kirstyn Kuhn. Once a major in Fine Arts, she has clearly been continuing her artistic pursuits in her time since graduating. Kirstyn has been an artist since she was little, and this interest led her to Greensboro College. Seeing her artistic progression from a student to now has really impressed Professor Langer and he very much enjoyed her submission.
Which reminds me of the best part about the exhibit… I’M IN IT! MY WORK IS IN THERE GO LOOK AT IT!!! I’M FAMO– *ahem* I mean to say that it’s still accepting submissions, from artists and non-artists alike! Just go up to the tables in the Mezzanine (the upper level in the entrance of Cowan) and use the materials there. The exhibit will be up until April 15th, so get what you can up there for everyone to see it!
I want to credit Destinee Allen, from the art department, for these ABSOLUTELY STUNNING photos of the exhibit. Her email (along with some of the other artists mentioned in this article) will be linked below, if you have any outside interest in what these artists have to offer.
Everydays:The First 5000 Days by Beeple, AKA Mike Mike Winkelmann 2007-2021 (5000 digital drawings)
This picture speaks to the scale of what can be accomplished with the combination of years of effort. It’s simultaneously hopelessly inspiring and soul crushingly at the same. A reminder of what can be accomplished each day and something I struggle to find the time for somehow. While it’s hard to pick out any specific pictures for me besides a few key ones like a green face, the overall feel reminds me of stars in a galaxy.
The Moon, 2014 Oil on canvas 78 7/10 × 70 9/10 in 200 × 180 cm
Just a beautiful personification of the celestial body. If that’s the exact effect the artist was going for. The overall pose reminds me of the arc the moon will follow at night. The expression she gives off is one of true disinterest, as if the viewer is the second thought in her field of vision. Much like our moon reminds me frequently, it is only attached by that invisible force and like the background when there’s a new moon things can seem unstable, unclear and amorphous. The bouquet could easily represent the moon’s tidal forces as well as the beautiful changes it goes through as it completes its cycle.
“Brushstroke Chair and Ottoman” by Roy Lichtenstein Painted Wood
A truly intricate piece of work with a very interesting but simple design. Reminds me of sludge or pond scum flowing down a strong river. The base of the chair and ottoman perfectly mimic the action of the roots of the tree trying to grasp onto and return to the soil like the claws of the excavator used on its stump. The piece also shows beautiful symmetry except for in the ottoman of course. It almost feels like it’s meant to have a back and it’s missing it.
Catherine Haggarty, Home in the Mountains, 2020, oil stick and airbrush on canvas, 48 × 36 inches. Courtesy of the artist.
I find this piece really interesting in how it is abstract and almost doodle-like. Personally, I just see a mixture of a lot of jagged or sharp teeth and a myriad of faces along with a few shapes and forms like the foxes or the honey badger among other things. There is also a lot formed in the negative space of the piece. This is just one of many in her collection.
Welcome to Monday Media Minute! A faster version of all my normal posts where I introduce you to a piece of media that I think everyone should enjoy, despite my terrible sense of society’s overall opinion. This week’s addition is Friday Night Funkin’!
Friday Night Funkin’ is a fantastically funky looking game that pays homage to Newgrounds, an early 2000s website that was primarily used by animators and artists alike. It’s a rhythm game that uses standard DDR controls (up, left, right, down). The game follows the simple story of Boyfriend and Girlfriend, that’s their actual names mind you, and how Boyfriend wants to prove to Girlfriend’s father that he should be able to date his daughter. You play along with the beat of the music and go up against some icons of Newgrounds, and some very interesting characters related to the game’s personal plot. Give it a shot, because believe it or not, this game’s FREE!
Editor’s Note: this game is probably really easy but I’m highly incapable of even beating the dad, so be warned.
GREENSBORO COLLEGE ART COLUMN 