what art can do

art should inspire. art should move you. art should stir up things in you. every month, fresno has art hop on the first thursday of the month (they've just added a second night, too). the galleries are open, it's usually new exhibits on display, and i've been attending on a regular basis for several years. i usually enjoy myself, but often it's just that. i had a good time, maybe enjoyed a piece or two, but nothing struck me.

last night, something struck me. the work of linda kay papadakis

let me preface what i'm about to say by saying that i don't mean any disrespect to the artist. she was quite talented. technically sound. interesting choice of subject. but her work was some of the creepiest stuff i've ever seen.

the first two sets of paintings were portraits done in dark hues. the artist, in her statement said they were done to as a celebration of the people in a time of their lives. i totally didn't see them this way. to me, they were very dark, ominous. some of the faces almost ghoulish. again, i don't mean this to be insulting. just my impression. but they were still provoking something in me, which i appreciated. one of my fellow hoppers commented that they reminded him of a death mask.




the next set was of three young ladies. the coloring was much lighter, and maybe even more joyful. definitely warmer. the artist talked more of the process for this group than the intention, other than trying to view the paintings through the audiences' eyes. as i looked on these i went from creeped out to nearly disgusted. to me, these three ladies all had very seductive looks to them. but, they also all seemed waaaaaaaaay too young to be giving seductive looks. the more i looked at the work, the more my stomach turned.



again, i say these in the best possible way. in no way am i trying to insult the artist or the art. i wouldn't purchase these pieces because they're not really my style, my interest. but, honestly, these were some of the best pieces i'd seen because they stirred emotion in me. i could evaluate them simply on the artistic merits or technical qualities, and they were fine. there have been several times when i have seen very well done pieces on art hop. most of the time i see stuff like that. these pieces were great because they moved beyond just that. they moved me.

so, i take my hat off to linda kay papadakis