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PUBLISHED ARTICLE 2004 JCS Museum
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Paintings by Gary Chapman" The Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art Essay published for the full color brochure documenting Chapman's 2004 summer exhibition Specificity and universality. Tension and calm. Mystery and revelation. These qualities pervade the recent paintings by Gary Chapman, which engage the viewer and insist upon contemplation and conversation. Drawn from two bodies of work, the paintings in this exhibition reveal Chapman's investigation of the human condition as experienced by both children and adults. They represent approximately four years of work and a gradual evolution from earlier paintings, which involved more elaborate symbolism and focused entirely upon adults. The paintings are meticulously executed, yet the technical strength of the images remains secondary to their connotative value; it is seductive more than anything, drawing the viewer into an enigmatic world where more quiestions arise than answers exist. Continually negotiating the tension between naivete and awareness, Chapman infuses his paintings with layers of meaning. But, meaning must be interpreted by each person who interacts with the paintings; it is not overt or explicit. Rather, it is richly and subtly woven into the imagery. In a startling and almost jarring mode, Chapman's subjects force the viewer to confront societal and psychological issues. The most alarming of these subjects are the adults who have "borrowed" body parts from other drastically different forms. By substituting certain body parts on these figures, Chapman involves the viewer in dialogue regarding gender, ethnicity, and empowerment. The figures themselves confront us and by doing so force us to confront concerns prevalent on both individual and collective levels. At the same time, Chapman plays upon perception. Most of the recent adult figures "borrow" body parts which on some level - by society, by the individual - are perceieved as being greater assets than those that they already possess. Or, the figures "borrow" body parts which connote hardships or struggle. Man with Black Eye, Listening (2003) possesses a powerful emotive quality; haunted with the suggestion that the African-American face has dealt with adversity, it presents the ridiculous idea that the white figure is going to be able to understand this. Why has this white male assumed, for a portion of his face, an African-American man's visage? Is he trying to understand a specific person's plight, or that of a larger body of people? Does he want to learn from this particular individual, to assume personality traits or life experiences that will make him a stronger person? Chapman leaves the viewer to negotiate these possibilities. On the other hand, Woman with New Voice (2001) has assumed a white, masculine jaw. Will she be heard more clearly? Is the "new voice" more effective than her own? The figure does not appear to be so convinced... In either case, Chapman allows the viewer's own perceptions and experiences to act as navigational tools. In each of these paintings, the viewer is quickly reminded of the surreal nature of the imagery (and connoted ideas) by the abstract background. Created by applying a layer of gold leaf on top of red paint, and then layering more paint, the surfaces of the paintings exude a luminous, other-worldly quality. Chapman seems to hope that the viewer will recognize the macabre logic behind his figures' methods of understanding or assimilating . Borrowing body parts is not the right way to go about these endeavors; however, the cerebral exercise that the paintings initiate might be. As these figures force the viewer to consider the impossible - the literal assuming of another's skin or arm or eye or ear - they force the viewer into an absurd position. The tension evident in Chapman's paintings - the virtual turning points on which the figures exist - finds its grounding in some of Chapman's own experiences. As a middle child, he says that he generally finds himself "seeing issues from both sides of the fence; able to appreciate both perceptions and paralyzed from choosing sides." As in his paintings of adults, the paintings of children invite the viewer to negotiate a myriad of connotations, perceptions and interpretations. Yet, they, too, maintain a strange sense of balance and tension; in part this seems to be informed by Chapman's own experiences as a child and in other ways by his experiences parenting. The Swimmer (2002), for example, conjures memories of innocent childhood recreation. Yet, the painting is universal enough to elicit that response from just about anyone who considers it. The surroundings are vague, the background taking on a hazy, sfumato-like effect. No particular time or place is referenced. What materializes as most important is the idea or feeling associated with the painting, rather than explicit narrative. Upon further concentration, the true innocence of the child is called into question. Goggles hide her gaze and a life vest guards her body; with a semi-smirk on her face, the child does not reveal much. The painting asks the viewer to recall memories and emotions more than it communicates these concepts through the subject. Again, tension emerges in Chapman's work; the young swimmer maintains a sense of wonder, invincibility, and sincerity but is also on the brink of loosing that naivete'. Boy and a Truck (2001), too, alludes to childhood and recreation. Has the boy been running around the highway, or has he been playing with a toy truck that has somehow morphed into the tanker that looms to his right? In any case, the truck is in his past. He appears to be in the process of realizing this, of acknowledging that his childhood is waning. Like The Swimmer, his arms are crossed and protect his body. While his eyes are not covered,his gaze is averted. Just as the adults and the other children in Chapman's paintings do, this figure asks us to question and to draw our own experiences and perceptions to navigate the imagery. Catherine Walsh, Curator of Exhibitions The Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art |
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