Kerry James Marshall

Mastry by contemporary artist Kerry James Marshall was an outstanding solo exhibition that closed at the end of September. Marshall is a masterful and interesting painter and artist. He offers commentary on the privilege and history of formal museum exhibitions and gallery hangings. In a water-downed nutshell, he is described as reinterpreting western art history using African-American figures in traditional painting styles and position. However, his signature iconographic markers extend his art historical references into an artistic voice of his own. Some of Marshall's techniques include linear halos that evoke medieval saints and virgins, distorting illusion using trompe l'oeil, the positions of figures in specific foreground placement, as well as other techniques. Overall, I thought the exhibition was breathtaking and remarkable. I, of course, loved his use of glitter to hyperbolize certain emotions and ideas. Marshall is gaining more and more attention and due credit for his wonderful career and I hope he will continue to have a successful reception in the future.

The Whitney Museum of American Art

The Whitney Museum of American Art has moved itself from the Upper East Side down to lower Manhattan, just north of Greenwich Village along the Hudson River. The move marks a theoretical shift as well as geographic. The Whitney for a long time was impenetrable in an expressive sense to me, because it's former building was so formidable and spatially objective. The Metropolitan Museum of Art has taken over the new building to display more of their modern art collection and perhaps they'll have better luck in re-utilizing the building. However, the new location of the Whitney, designed by Renzo Piano, is very innovative and fun. The primary feature I liked were the many patios and outdoor staircases that had outstanding views of New York and also led back into the art galleries. I would say that overall the configuration of most of the art and exhibits was nothing landmark or refreshing and that the building was most interesting aesthetic feature. The inaugural exhibits seemed to reiterate what has been done before with exhibition design--perhaps their holding onto their more groundbreaking exhibits for the future?