Antonio Puri

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Modern art comes full circle

By Kristin Baver, A & E Editor, The Keystone

The circle, an age-old symbol for the soul, has long been utilized to present perfection through simplicity. Da Vinci presented his �Vitruvian Man� in a circle to show man�s perfect proportions, but the �Inner Circles� exhibition is more reminiscent of Lichtenstein in an earthquake.

On Jan. 29, the Sharadin Art Gallery premiered its latest exhibit, an eclectic blend of six Philadelphian modern artists and their varied styles and mediums with one commonality � circles. David Foss, James Fuhrman, Michelle Marcuse, Antonio Puri, Vincent Romaniello and Tremain Smith were all present at the reception to the group exhibition last Thursday evening. All six artists had the opportunity to speak to the audience, while passionately recollecting their individual methods and ideas that made exhibition possible. Unfortunately, the same vigor with which the artists spoke failed to transcend the barrier of abstraction present in most of the works. With two exceptions, Puri�s �Mitosis of the Soul� and �Conversation with Pollock,� �Inner Circles� was little more than a case-study on the latest modern art mediums and techniques.

Shoe polish pimpled Foss�s works in a deliberate, but overwhelming, pattern, while amber shellac was poured generously across the canvas to freeze paint droplets mid-motion. �I use the circular form in a dot manner as an abstract pattern, a metaphor for motion,� said Foss. The abstraction of his collection was heightened with meaningless titles such as #23, #8 and #7. Clearly members of the same series, the pieces lacked the individual flare to make any statements of their own or as a group.

Conversely, Furhman�s sculptures were aptly named but appeared to still be in an unfinished stage. �I let the pieces tell me what they want to be,� said Fuhrman, of his welded steel pieces, composed mainly of scraps from larger works. His two series, Vessels and Dolmens, depicted forms true to their names. �I think of (the dolmens) as shelters, much like vessels,� said Furhman, using his hands to illustrate their homogeneity.

Shawn Bollinger, 23, a post baccalaureate Art Education major, said, �I�m honestly impressed by Fuhrman�s metal workings and his use of basic materials to create the abstraction.� Unfortunately, his titles often seemed more carefully crafted than the pieces themselves. His piece �Circles of Holding -- Recall the Sweetness of Freshly Turned Earth� resembled two stainless-steel sharks in a concrete pool, but the factor of open interpretation is, after all, a mainstay of abstraction.

Working with collage covered by unadulterated beeswax, a method termed encaustic, Tremain Smith�s pieces failed to convey a tangible theme, even when she explained her �mappings of the unseen.� Her saving grace, however, was her exuberance as she discussed her children coming home with bolts, washers and other scrap metal they found on the street. Smith�s favorite technique when creating her work is heating bits of scrap metal and branding her artwork with an abstract pattern of circles. By alternating the amounts of pressure and heat, the branding obtains an array of different effects, from faded imprints to blackened outlines. Branding comes as a final step to Smith�s process of creating art, finalizing collaged works that are sealed with a layer of transparent bees wax.

During the artists� reception, Vincent Romaniello explained the story behind his work, �Fire,� as a post-9/11 tribute, which uses two vertical lines of brown and tan dots to represent the smoke emanating from the Twin Towers. Without knowledge of his inspiration, the splash of brown on either side of what appeared to be a calm summer sky failed to convey anything about the title.

�I like Romaniello�s works best because they�re bright, airy, and they have a lighter mood to them,� said Tara Carr, 18, a freshman Communication Design major.

�I didn�t plan on using the circles,� said Michelle Marcuse, who primarily works with encaustic on masonite. �They just show up. Once the work starts it leads me and I wonder, �Why the hell didn�t I do this earlier?�� The titles of Marcuse�s works seemed arbitrary, �Even by Reflection,� �Refusing to Leave� and �The New Weight� among them, and were explained no further by the artist.

The most fascinating pieces in the exhibition were two works by Antonio Puri, �Mitosis of the Soul,� and �Conversation with Pollock.� �Mitosis� clearly presented the mitosis of a cell, using circles as they appear in nature to depict a biological action. Placed on a gleaming forest green backdrop, the mitotic action was evocative of an abstract night sky, with small, white beads affixed to the painting for texture.

�Conversation with Pollock� was comprised of mixed mediums on canvas and an installation piece, plaster-coated strings resting on a table. A small plaque next to the piece explained its relevance in terms of the circle symbolizing a deceased and detached soul, with erratic drippings of paint and the plaster-coated offering paying homage to Pollock�s innovative artistry.

The �Inner Circles� exhibit will be running in the Sharadin Art Gallery through Feb. 29.