Exhibit: Open House

 Andrew Conklin

Helen Oh

I know that Art is not a competitive sport -- but I can't help but comparing Andy and Helen when they are painting the same subject:  The Fulton Street Kitchen.

With its black-and-white checkboard walls recalling the stripes on the Florence Baptistery, what Classically minded artist would not be fascinated by that building?

Andy's painting is better because it sets a scene of human interaction -- the staff is taking a cigarette
break.

But Helen's is better because it creates such a mood of mystery.  What has just happened?

So I call this competition a tie.

They are both wonderful painters - two of the best in Chicago.

 

Lois Eakin "Where R U"

A clever little genre scene that tells a story.

I hope this girl figures out how to get home safely.

Exhibit: Dance, Flowers, Life

 Alexandra Leventhal

This is the second iteration of Alexandra Leventhal's tribute to the Drawing Workshop, an institution in the world of Chicago figurative art for over forty years.

Under the guidance of George Sotos, it presented a unique focus on the human skeleton as the foundational structure of figure drawing.

I would call this approach bone-headed, in more ways than one -- but that's just one of my many worthless opinions.

Look at the work in this show and judge for yourself.

Alexandra's mournful bust, shown above, was my favorite piece in the show.

..except for the photographs by Richard Younker:

As noted in my last post -- I am not much interested in photography except for documentary purposes.

But I can't keep my eyes of these little slices of life.

 

 Andrea Bacalini

Alexandra also included a few  Italian artists whom she knows.

Definitely a different artworld from ours.