Meet the Young Faces of Contemporary Painting
by Paul Weiner
Undergraduate painting students at Syracuse University’s Department of Art are proving the lasting power of painting in the 21st Century.
An exhibition of recent work by students in the undergraduate painting major at Syracuse University is on display in the school’s Shaffer Art Building from March 2 – March 15, and the depth of talent is startling.
Jenna Race’s expansive chicken tryptic overwhelms viewers as they enter the senior show, evoking thoughts about meat factories and the way animals are processed and treated for human consumption. This tryptic, about twelve feet in length, possesses hauntingly accurate forms of repeated and disemboweled chickens rendered in oil paint and encased in hints of skin-like latex. A few feet away are Mary Luke’s expressionist portraits, which exist somewhere between Jenny Saville’s figurative prowess and Cy Twombly’s expressive force. They are followed by Talia Haviv’s paintings of nude men in suggestive poses, Julia Grosso’s bodily collages, Samantha Glevick’s works that question the meaning of home and identity, and Maritza Feliciano’s colorful depictions of nude women. Juniors, sophomores, and freshmen are displaying their work on the fourth floor of the same building, featuring a wide variety of abstract and representational painting talent.
Kevin Larmon, a Syracuse University professor and painting department coordinator whose work is featured in prominent art collections such as the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, is proud of his blossoming students. He claims that “this is the most exciting group of undergrads I’ve had in years.”
Despite the anemic economy and heavy college loan burdens, these students have followed their passion for painting. As a result, their work transcends the pastiche, market-driven repertoire dominating the safe establishment art scene. Led by lauded artists and professors Sharon Gold, Andrew Havenhand, Kevin Larmon, and Jerome Witkin, the undergraduate painting majors at Syracuse University are spearheading the return of stimulating, eccentric painting in the 21st century. From criticism of the average American diet to commentaries on internet politics and the use of paint in a contemporary fashion, there’s no denying that these paintings are energetically, dangerously, forcefully fresh, emphasizing the potential for the next generation of painters to reinvigorate the legacy of American painting.
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Reblogged this on Kira Moore's Closet and commented:
I think this bodes well for the future of painting as a forceful medium for expression.
studio art … nostalgia
Beautiful to see the students work.
There is a saying, give me bread, but give me chocolate. Art is often written off as a luxury, but without something to bring light into our lives, life becomes a mere existance. Art matters. Great post.
Beautiful artwork. Intense and meaningful.
Beautiful artwork. Moving, intense and meaningful.
Some beautiful pieces here… So much talent!
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No wonder the professor is proud, this work looks amazing. My favourite has to be Julia Grosso’s painting but it all looks great. How I wish I could have seen it all close up. I absolutely love student work, it always seems so fresh and dynamic. Wonderful! Thank you for sharing 🙂
I majored in art in fine art painting in school. And I cover art a lot in my own blog in the Yucatan. Its always exciting to see large well done pieces handing in a gallery or museum!
The creative work done is really nice. I wish all undergraduates good luck it is a dismay for me that undergraduate are doing such a skillful creative work and if i have to get admission in this university, by seeing my work no one’ll allow me to enter into main gate of Institute.
because of your subscription I witnessed some amazing work here!
thank you!
Reblogged this on my digital exercises.
Reblogged this on lindadickens and commented:
Yes real Artworks always have a place .especially for those who can recognize genuine creativity. Linda dickens artist Woodville.
Jesus Christ,…..!!!
Refreshing. These really are amazing.