Graphite group show has scattered gems
By IAN PAIGE | September 26, 2007
"ADIEU, MAMAN" By Janvier Rollande, graphite on paper, 2007. |
| "Graphite" | through November 25 | at Portland Museum of Art, in Portland | 207.775.6148 |
A danger in setting up an exhibit centered around a specific medium is that the thematic content of the show is free to roam and is most likely encouraged to sprawl to the far reaches of technique and style. In the case of “Graphite” at the Portland Museum of Art, there is indeed a sense of “look at all the crazy things you can do with graphite!” on the part of the curators. Abstract patterns, ultra-realist renderings, and even sculpture all make appearances, but the variety encourages the viewer to gloss over the pieces.You run the risk of seeing the individual works for their differences and not necessarily their inherent artistic integrity. However, that shouldn’t prevent you from spending time with your favorite pieces, and chances are your picks will be different from those of other patrons in the room. The scattered variety of “Graphite” does make the often-euphemistic adage “something for everyone” a genuinely good deal.
John Whalley’s “Class of ’54” conveys a remarkable photo-realistic approach that shows exact detail of pencil stubs with worn erasers, bite marks and all. But other featured artists give this kind of literal rendering a subtler thematic power with moves toward abstraction and the surreal. “Back Shore” by Edna Andrade is a graphite work on canvas where, with a light touch, the artist carefully recreates a close-up view of a rocky shore. The vantage point brings the configuration of granite to the point of abstraction and makes the solidity of the subject more ephemeral and the lines more mobile. The canvas, prepared with a mauve hue, adds a warmth that would be otherwise lost to the starkness of the graphite.
Janvier Rollande’s “Adieu, maman” depicts a woman on her deathbed. She lies prostrate, her mouth agape and possibly releasing her last breath. The exacting detail takes advantage of the medium in its uncompromised delivery of the arresting moment. The flower patterns on the woman’s bedclothes look unfinished. The white of the paper shows through as though the artist forgot to finish the work. Rather, it seems as though she is beginning to disappear by fading away. The initial shock of the drawing gives way to a poignancy and sentimentality.
Alison Hildreth’s “Forthright and Meanders, Nos. 1-3” feels out of place even in a show that intends to diversify its content. Three scrolls composed of crumpled and tinted rice paper hang long and vertically. The dimensions and qualities of the paper are pleasing, but the constellating veins, silhouettes of helicopters, and vague aerial views lack compositional unity.
The gems of the show both push the definition of working with graphite to opposite extremes. Kendra Ferguson works with paper, making geometric incisions in counterpoint to a spare ultra-thin graphite line. Both kinds of line are barely visible, encouraging you to enter the work and explore the inherent unity of the geometric forms. “Where To Find Bonfires” features four sheets of paper arranged in a large frame. Different rectangular shapes are arranged almost schematically. Minor variations in the patterns feel musical. Solid shapes hold their ground while the occasional arc offers a reserved flourish. The result is rooted in the earth but aspires toward a heavenly order like a fugue. A minimalist aesthetic is liberated from characteristic severity.
Topics:
Museum And Gallery
, Cultural Institutions and Parks, Museums, Portland Museum of Art, More 
, Cultural Institutions and Parks, Museums, Portland Museum of Art, John Whalley, Alison Hildreth, Greg Parker, Kendra Ferguson, Less 
