Exhibition: The Journey Home

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Kei Constantinov

Like the Marco Polo marionette on the left.

As fascinating as its subject.

All of her antiquated paintings appear to be catalogs of symbols with no connection to color, design, or form. But her MFA guarantees that she is not naive about such things.

These pieces are postmodern, so we should show some respect for the institutions that rule contemporary art.

Kei Constantinov

Kei Constantinov

Isaac Galvan

Among his many small portraits, this one clicked for me.

Simon Cygielski

Dolls that reflect Polish ethnicity as well as architectural training.

Simon Cygielski

Apparently the artist has become comfortable with discomfort; 

habituated to feeling homeless.

A nice inner contradiction.

Sculpture and Drawing Show 2025

 

George Clark

My favorite piece in the show.

Not an academic exercise or demonstration of ability.

A design that aims at strength 

A narrative that makes the viewer a voyeur 

of a confidant woman  who is presenting her sex to no one but herself.

I would title it “Diana “

and Actaeon had better climb the nearest tree.

Gregorio Meija

In the Palette and Chisel tradition of skilled illustrators  

setting their ability free to go where it may

Gregorio Mejia

Competent - but I feel no compulsion to like it 

Misha Livshultz

There’s a person in there

though I would not care to meet him

Leslie Outten

A Fairy?

A surprising and pleasant bouquet.

Don DiSante

Parts in need of ordering 

Not yet aiming for the big

Lawrence Paulson

A credible presentation piece

Helen Oh, Coco

An elegant piece from the 18th Century

but definitely not the Coco I know.

Cathy Buck

This is DeLawn as I know him

Definitely not 18th or even 19th century

Subtly sliding to the left as if in motion

Helen Oh, Paris Sketchbook

Makes me want to travel there myself.

Copies of art interspersed with first person views.

Helen evidently loves French culture.

Andrew Conklin

Yikes!  He’s going after Michelangelo’s greatest drawing.

A noble failure - Yet notable for using his own model.

Evident skill— yes

Power —- not enough.

But it’s good to aim high.

That’s what teachers are for.

BTW - a show of historical copies of Michelangelo drawings ocame through Chicago about thirty years ago. Quite admirable - they also fell short.  Copying lines is one thing - copying what’s beneath them is another.

Isaac Galvin

A strange bending of space,

I like erect nipples, too.

Summer Suite 2025

 

Paula Herrera

The Frida Kahlo of cat sculpture?

Sure is strange and intense. 

I’m guessing that 50 years from now

these kittens will be far more collectible than whatever the rest of us are making.

Might this be called a an accessible, upbeat, folkloric aesthetic -

similar to her career as a musician.

The famous Chicago Imagists also have a taste for tchotchkes,

but unlike them, Paula makes her own.

Mark Huddle

A tribute to Reginald Marsh?

Kinda —-

but less a window onto a sordid under world

and more like a grid based abstract design

interacting with text.

Quite post-modern

and appropriate for a graduate of DOVA at the U. Of Chicago .

Again .. more like a playful interaction of grids in space than a view of an actual place.

It’s rude to look into people’s windows,

and certainly not much to see here.

A possible tribute to Roger Brown.

A rather phallic cityscape.

The magic trick of cityscape,

or, actually all mimetic art,

is to simultaneously achieve power in the graphic design 

and credibility in the imitation.

This piece comes closest to pulling that off.

The careful rendering of brickwork brings to mind this piece from Vermeer:

A more welcoming view into a more modest urban space.

(and world class  magic from the 17th century)

Joan Stachnik

Mary Klug

Bodo Stolezenberger

The Influence of Richard Schmid

 

Libby Givan Whipple

What a delicious ambience.

If you were expecting the usual suspects for this kind of show, you would have been surprised.  Just how many talented students did Richard Schmid have? We may never know, so many have studied with him one way or another.

This show introduces Libby Whipple an Indiana native who learned through Schmid’s books and seminars.  She certainly has a knack for composing with light, form, and space.

Several Schmid paintings traveled to this show as well

They all feel so effervescent and lively

Richard Schmid: Clayton Beck Painting, Putney,  Vermont, 2007

Delightful drawing of these small figures.

Illinois Portrait Society

 

Jean Lewis

An arresting narrative design

though not very painterly.

Seems to say:

“Awww, ain’t she cute”

…in a long tradition at the Palette

beginning with the barefoot boys of Adam Emory Albright

Tony Bedolla

Deliciously painterly and formally precise.

A striking presence

but otherwise unremarkable 

In a room of great portraits it would disappear as well crafted but ordinary.

A fine portrait but less notable as a painting.

(Note:  the same could not be said of his stunning, tragic portrait of Jessie on the OPA website.)

Mary Qian 

A character in Mary-world

that crackles  with the life of paint

rather than the subject.

airy, luminous

uniquely Mary

Michael Van Zeyl

My favorite Van Zeyl portrait to date.

No fancy flourishes,

it’s all about the beaming subject

Don Di Sante

Seems to answer the question

“How are you ….. really?”

Not really enjoying his golden years.

Tony Armendariz

A fine illustration.

I like gnarly

Christiane Bouret

An elegant person having one of those days.

Daniel Albo

Sometime in the early eighties, before South Asian sculpture filled the central corridor of the Art Institute, a very small gallery was located at its western end - and it was used to display very small sculpture.

Some pieces in this show, like the above, would have qualified to be there. They’re amazing.

An Eskimo ivory?

Daniel’s world is filled with sexy, glamorous, somewhat dissolute young people.

I like them.