I was lucky enough to sneak in the gallery around noon, shortly after Darker by the Day opened. I was immediately drawn into the show by the dark window, and shadowy branch marks that adorned the first wall. I felt an immediate sense of calm wash over me. I found the paintings aesthetically pleasing primarily for that reason. When viewers go into the gallery they are congronted with one plain, curtained white window (staring out). The other three windows are filled with varitions of a composition involving all or some of the following items: a milk, carton, tape recorder, candle, and pill bottle.
My interpretation hinges on my reactions to color. I really enjoyed Rush's use of black, white, and gray tones. I thought the windows each had a masterful touch to them, and I also found the use of those colors gave the show an earie life without the presence of life. I found the subject matter so mundane that it forced me to consider larger themes. I think the elevation of the mundane forces us to consider those objects functionality, and to not take for granted both the mundane and not mundane. If the objects around us are lifeless without our presence then that gives us as humans a duty to use our space of time to color that space, or simply fill it with things worth considering.
Three Questions
Why black and white for the Pearl Conard Gallery?
Is the minimal and mundane nature of the subject matter a reflection on those items or the items left out of the frame?
What is the function of the branches on the wall?
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