New Britain Museum of American Art

By Mary Doucette, Marketing Intern

Peter Pan has been a classic figure in English literature and media for over a century, yet his story, much like himself, never grows old. At his inception, Scottish novelist J.M. Barrie (1860–1937) wrote the character as only seven days old in The Little White Bird (1902), a story about a newborn who could fly. In Barrie’s later play titled Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up (1904), and novel titled Peter Pan and Wendy (1911), Peter’s age is not stated, but he is described as still having his baby teeth.

Barrie was fascinated with the idea of being young forever after his older brother David died in an ice-skating accident the day before his 14th birthday in 1867. Therefore, Barrie was very interested in immortalizing youth, and sought to achieve this through the character of Peter Pan. Adaptations sought to preserve this idea, therefore Peter consistently epitomizes youth and curiosity. Interestingly enough, Harriet Whitney Frishmuth’s Peter Pan, (1936, bronze) at the New Britain Museum of American Art was commissioned to be placed near the grave of the artist’s deceased cousin. In an interview with the artist, she recalls, “A cousin of mine [Dorothy Frishmuth] whom I never met always wanted one of my pieces. After her death, her husband, Dr. Craig, came to the studio and asked me if I could make a Peter Pan to place between her grave and his in Laurel Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia, as she had an affinity for Peter Pan and hated being ‘grown up.’” With these aspects in which Peter Pan’s character is so associated with death, it questions whether his eternal youth is a blessing or a curse.

Harriet Whitney Frishmuth, Peter Pan, 1936, Bronze, 19 x 14 x 26 in., Gift of Ruth Talcott, New Britain Museum of American Art

The story of Peter Pan consistently has strong ties to themes of nature; primarily through the way he is often dressed in leaves or, in later adaptations green, a symbol of nature. Additionally, his last name has ties to the mythological satyr Pan. In Greek mythology, Pan is represented as the god of the wild, shepherds, and flocks, nature of mountain wilds and rustic music, and companion of the nymphs. Another tie to nature: Peter is often depicted with a pan flute, claiming them as his signature instrument. This ties back to his character’s association in Greek mythology: Pan fell in love with a beautiful wood nymph Syrinx who was transformed into reed plants by her sisters. Upon hearing the music created when the wind blew through the reeds, Pan chose seven reeds not knowing which one was his beloved, and crafted them into the pan flute he is typically depicted with. In Frishmuth’s sculpture of Peter Pan, there is a pan flute beside the figure, which suggests the artist’s knowledge of the Greek god Pan and the desire to tie him to Peter Pan’s character, as has traditionally been done.

Poster for Peter Pan, 1924, Paramount Pictures

Peter’s childlike qualities were adapted in other media variations quickly after Barrie’s novel was published in 1911. For example, in 1924, a silent film was released featuring American actress Betty Bronson as Peter—maybe femininity was considered more youthful and pure at that time. This characterization is further depicted in Disney’s 1953 animation; our protagonist is young, sprightly, and mischievous with a great sense of adventure. In 2003, the live-action film Peter Pan featured a fourteen-year-old Jeremy Sumpter (b. 1989) as Peter Pan. Then, in 2015, Warner Bros. released Pan, another retelling of the classic tale, in which our protagonist, played by Levi Miller (b. 2002), is again a young teen. Though Peter Pan’s character has aged since his inception—growing from a boy of seven days to a toddler to a young teenager—he continues to maintain energetic and youthful traits through personality and countenance.

However, the character doesn’t always exactly remain young. Hook, a 1991 fantasy-adventure film adapting Barrie’s Peter and Wendy, starred Robin Williams (1951–2014) as an adult Peter who travels to Neverland to regain the memory of his youth—presenting youth as a positive theme. However, this isn’t the only instance in which viewers can see Peter Pan represented as an adult. On the television show Once Upon a Time (on ABC), the character was introduced in his late teens. Played by Robbie Kay (b. 1995), this character, though older than the original Peter Pan—is obsessed with maintaining his youth. He has become evil in his attempts to stay young, drifting from the character’s original representation of intentions. Anyway, this may be the only instance in which Peter Pan’s never-ending youth has become a tarnished trait.

Robbie Kay, of ABC’s Once Upon a Time, at San Diego Comic Con, 2015

It is clear that Peter has gradually aged over the years and variety of adaptations, but has his youthful essence of character changed? When Barrie initially created the character, his age was an over-exaggeration of youth; he will never grow old. This trait continues to stick with Peter Pan no matter the adaptation—but is eternal youth a good or a bad thing?

Barrie’s writing evoked a playful spirit and I see his original version of Peter Pan as a loving remembrance to his brother’s death. I think Barrie idealized childhood—though his brother would never see adulthood, he was still able to experience youth.

People are likely to be reminded of Disney’s 1953 film when faced with thoughts of Peter Pan, and I think they may prefer that character rendition to the brooding young adult depicted in Once Upon a Time, due to Disney’s nostalgic qualities. That being said, it is important to note that the target audience for Disney’s film is children. Children are more interested in the story at hand rather than fine plotline details. Whether it’s his childlike traits or appearance that captivate, the important question is: does his eternal youth pose as a warning or an opportunity? In Disney’s version, and the 2003 live-action version, I believe that his youth is optimistic; his energetic and adventurous spirit reminding us to live life feeling free and uninhibited.

Harriet Whitney Frishmuth, detail of Peter Pan, 1936, Bronze, 19 x 14 x 26 in., Gift of Ruth Talcott, New Britain Museum of American Art

These themes of Peter Pan’s eternal youth, specifically from earlier adaptations of the story, permeate throughout Frishmuth’s sculpture, particularly the figure’s eyes. Though his eyes are made of carefully sculpted bronze, they showcase endless amounts of wonder to me—the artist asked her model to pose as if he were looking up at the night stars for the very first time. All I see here is endless possibility; his eyes reminding me of the look I must have had as a child, imagining thousands of worlds that lived beyond my own.

By Ali Oshinskie, Marketing Intern

While wandering through the Museum galleries, searching for writing inspiration, I stumbled across David and Laura Grey, owners of recent loan Light Triumphant by Hudson River School painter George Inness. Ignorant to their identity, I offered to take their photo and they informed me that this painting, in front of which they posed, was found last year after being believed to be destroyed. At the New Britain Museum of American Art, the painting is on display for the first time in over 150 years. Grey invited me to attend his talk later that evening about the painting, its incredible history, and the brilliant man who painted it.

Light Triumphant by George Inness

Light Triumphant hangs on the central wall in the Martin Gallery, as the first painting visitors see. This painting subtly sets itself apart with both a humble and ideal sunset. Grey revealed that Inness’s removal from the proper training of other Hudson River School artists saved him from the blinding optimism of the School. John K. Howat in his book, The Hudson River and Its Painters, agrees with Grey: “[Inness] increasingly moved away from repetitiousness and drudgelike copying of nature. His conviction was that “the true end of Art is not to imitate a fixed material condition, but to represent a living motion” (50). Grey discussed the merits of Inness as opposed to the Hudson River School artists, the former depicting honest yet beautiful landscapes and the latter often fabricating the glory of nature. Inness saw this difference between his contemporaries and himself: “There was a lofty striving in Cole, although he did not technically realize that for which he reached. There was in Durand a more intimate feeling of nature. ‘If,’ thought I, ‘these two can only be combined! I will try!’” (The Hudson River and Its Painters 49). On this theme of realism, the portrayal Grey drew of Inness was one of the most honest I’ve heard of the renowned men and women in art history. Despite having painted such brilliant works as Light Triumphant, Inness was a terribly insecure man who often painted over his previous works. Grey recounted evidence of one canvas that had been painted over by the artist a total of eighteen times! It is this quirk of Inness that led art historians to believe Light Triumphant had been destroyed. A highly circulated wood engraving of the painting gave many late 19th century urban populations an idea of the countryside and art historians since a clue to the painting’s existence.

NBMAA Director Min Jung Kim with David and Laura Grey.

This post comes to you from Victoria Fagan, Curatorial Intern

Peter Waite (B. 1950) is an American scene painter currently residing in Connecticut and is known for capturing aging infrastructures in the Northeast. The Massachusetts native received his M.F.A. from the Art Institute of Chicago in 1975. Two years later, he displayed his work in the New Britain Museum of American Art for the first time. Waite’s first exhibition included his series of square paintings, Memory Paintings. All of these paintings were inspired by Waite’s memory rather than a still life or photograph. He currently uses snapshots to guide him in creating his more recent works, but he still refers to his memory. By using a muted color palette, Waite leaves room for the viewers to focus on the structure itself and allows our memories to go to work.

In an interview with the Hartford Courant, Waite stated “everything is memory. You are a collection of your memories“ [1].This is confirmed through the titles of his works. Bridge (2006) is one of Waite’s most notable works, currently located in the Contemporary Gallery on the second floor of the NBMAA as part of the Museum’s permanent collection. His titles allow the viewer to see scenes not as specific places, but rather as places that we have all been. He creates an intersection of personal and social memory.

Although not specified in the title, Waite is referencing the Charles J. Arrigoni Bridge that crosses the Connecticut River, connecting Middletown and Portland, Connecticut. Constructed between 1936-1938, the two 600 feet steel arches make this bridge the largest in the state.

Bridge, Waite’s ten panel painting, displays the Arrigoni Bridge from underneath. Although many people have driven over this bridge, this is a view that very few have noticed. This change in perspective leaves the viewer in wonder. The geometric and mathematical execution of the bridge is disrupted by the unexpected slashes of neon paint. Waite refers to these markings as “zips.” The zips, along with where the panels come together and where the nails affix them to the wall, animate the surface of his work.

There are moments in the painting where the zips help the structure. The bright, neon marks follow the direction of the beams causing the viewer’s eyes to be directed to them. These zips are found in all directions in the work allowing the viewer’s attention and focus to constantly be shifting. The main focus of the work is on the right side of the painting, where the emphasis is located and where the viewer would be standing if they were to be looking at the Arrigoni Bridge in person. The bridge itself moves the viewer’s eyes towards the bottom left portion of the painting where the focus becomes dismal. The size and angle of the bridge create an interaction between the place and the viewer.

Notice how this painting does not include any figures, which enforces the viewer’s participation in the scene. By taking out distractions, such as people and cars, Waite is able to place emphasis on the historic monument itself. This process allows Waite to transform a chaotic scene into a much more arranged one.  

Although Waite’s paintings are powerful, they are also quite simple. Waite uses thin layers of paint that appear to be watered down, allowing the surface to build up through the many values of color.  There is an undercoat of fluorescent colors which Waite refers to as 21st century primary colors. Waite describes the painting process as phenomenal, stating, “you have pigment and you take a brush—an extension of your arm—and create images. You create an illusion. This to me is alchemic” [2].

Waite’s vision for art comes from his childhood. During long family trips through Ohio, Waite would look out the car window. To him, the window acted as a frame to a landscape. Waite said he “saw this boulder isolated in a field. There was just this flat landscape, and then this huge rock with nothing else around it. I was only seven or eight, and I didn’t have any idea of the way glaciers worked or anything like that, but I remember thinking to myself that I was going to remember that for the rest of my life” [1]. This vision helped Waite become one of the most widely-respected American scene painters in the state of Connecticut. Today, Waite’s 109 large-scaled paintings are spread throughout the country, including right here in New Britain, Connecticut. Allow your memory to go to work by coming to the NBMAA to see Bridge, currently located on the second floor in the Contemporary Gallery.

[1] Eagan, Matt. "A Matter of Perspective." Hartford Courant 25 Jan. 2007: 14-15. Print.

[2] Rosen, Steven. "Architectural Allure." Architectural Allure.  13 May 2015. Web. 01 July 2015.

By Olivia Rettstatt, Curatorial Intern

Though the beauty and power of museums lie in highlighting, appreciating, and educating on the art of years gone by, many more venues—other than those exclusive to Contemporary Art—have begun to extend their collections into current works hot off the canvas. The New Britain Museum of American Art may be known for its Hudson River School paintings or Robert Lesser Pulp Illustrations, but it is also making waves extending its timeline into the current art market. Our McKernan and Alix Stanley Galleries house 2000 to the present and Post-Contemporary works, respectively. The new breed of art is multi-faced, simultaneously breaking down and reinforcing the influences of the past while coming out with wholly inventive and one- of-a-kind creations. There is something for everyone in today’s art, as no artist is limited to a genre, subject, or material. Anything and everything goes, and I think that may be the frighteningly beautiful part. Seeing the work of an artist done less than ten years ago in front of you it helps keep things fresh, interesting, and relatable. The art of Nick Cave, Maki Tamura and Norbert Brunner exemplifies the direction art has and is moving in since the new millennium, complete with creative takes on art icons to addressing social and culture cacophonies experienced by millions on a daily basis.

Nick Cave is a performance artist who mixes his background in dance, fashion design, and fabric arts into his work. This jack of all trades epitomizes what it means to be an artist in 2015: his work is impactful, whimsical, and entirely entertaining. The NBMAA has Cave’s 2013 Blot, a 43-minute video reel of soothing hypnosis. Blot is a “Sound Suit,” a term coined by Cave that describes his performance art costumes, musical entities that are strikingly inventive in and of themselves. Blot is a black raffia suit donned by a dancer, filmed in what appears to be slow motion with a mirror effect. This fringed ameba form undulates and shakes to a silent beat, forcing its viewer into a trance-like state. It may seem simple, but below the stringy surface of Blot and other magical “Sound Suits” by Cave, there is a more important conversation:

“… really what the work is about, is that it hides gender, race, and class, so you're forced to be confronted with something that is unfamiliar. It can't be categorized. You know, we tend to live in a world where we want to—we want to be able to find its placement and here, I think it is its own origin, it's its own entity, within itself, within its own world, but it's extraordinary to be inside, because what it does as the wearer, it allows you the independence to move and to express yourself freely.”- Nick Cave, National Endowment for the Arts podcast

What I find particularly intriguing about Cave’s work is the sense of freedom. The concept has long been suppressed, fought and won, a topic of interest I find particularly relatable to my generation: one which has made stupendous strides for the LGBT community, women, and minorities, just to name a few. Cave’s suit may hide the wearer, but within the colorful disguise, one is no longer confined.

Nick Cave (b. 1959), Blot, 2013 (video still), video (duration: 43 minutes). Alice Osborne Bristol Fund, 2013.07

Nick Cave, Installation view: Sojourn, Denver Art Museum, CO, June 9–September 22, 2013.

Maki Tamura is another artist that vacillates between genres, showing strength within sculpture, painting, and installations. Her work draws heavily upon her Japanese heritage and Indonesian upbringing, something which I think optimizes the mixing-pot beauty of America. Tamura’s 2006 Love is a hybrid of relief sculpture and painting, historicism and modernity, Eastern and Western tradition. It is exquisitely carved, layered, and symmetrically set in a honeycomb, snowflake shape. She tweaks the Victorian elements of women in petticoats and faithful canines into ornate, three-dimensional spirals of charm. I appreciate the fellow art historian in Tamura, the 18th century details and Baroque circles she delightfully displays in Love, a watercolor mélange of colors and cultures. I value when an artist successfully renders inspiration and artists from the past in their work; to me it is a form of an acceptance speech to the greats, saying, “Hey, thanks, I am successful because of how your art moved, molded, and taught me.” She is not mimicking their work, so to speak, but she is interpreting it in her own way; I think this shows intelligence and respect on the part of the artist.

Maki Tamura (b. Japan, 1973), Love, 2005-2006. Watercolor on paper and wood. Gift of Walter and Linda Wick, 2014.27

Norbert Brunner provides his viewers with an intriguing and inspiring look…at themselves. He utilizes text and pixilated tessellations to evoke a sense of confidence, confusion, and optical illusion. Brunner often utilizes phrases such as “believe,” “vocalize,” and “imagine you are invincible” in tandem with mirrors that directly reflect the viewer. The NBMAA is fortunate  to own his 2013 Suzi in our collection, a three-dimensional commentary on (mainly) my generation’s preoccupation with technology and the skewed perceptions it creates. Suzi begs to be interacted with, as her bright green and red Pointillist surface sharpens and blurs depending on how close you are to the work. The digital inspired bubbles of color painted on a clear cube transports your eyes to a bizarre, virtual reality, holographic space that mimics the flow of minuscule information floating in our cyber-dependant world.

Nobert Brunner (b. Austria, 1969), Suzi, 2010. Acrylic glass, wood, adhesive foil. Stephen B. Lawrence Fund, 2010.13

Olivia Rettstatt- Curatorial Intern

In the ever-evolving world, there is constant conversation regarding what is and isn’t “art.” I find myself frustrated and confused by trying to define the term, the complex and counterintuitive meanings. This conversation is global, stretching beyond museums galleries, and runways, into Raymour & Flanigan, Pottery Barn and IKEA. I am getting at furniture. Are my bed, sofa or dining room table pieces of art or sole necessity with some element of aesthetic appeal? Where does one draw the line, or even begin? Furniture embodies all of the elements found in paintings, sculptures, and mixed media: creative design inspiration, common techniques, genres, even dialogue. However, it often gets separated into another genre entirely—known as Applied Arts—or forms mixed emotions when people find themselves perplexed when they see utilitarian objects become unlivable. Armchairs coated with spiked pencil tips, curved bowl seats unfit for the human body, or even thrones infested with live Mycelium fit the bill for making the practical, impractical. What the heck are these things: art, object, or both?

I think I have come to realize—through how society categorizes everything—that objects that lose or change in function become ‘art.’ To me, an old-fashioned fan-girl of Van Eyck, Dürer, and Klimt, a contemporary art world seems to favor the more dramatic or outlandish. Those works merit better attention and responses, defining them successful. For these once ‘normal’ objects like high heels, turned into ankle-snapping weapons for Alexander McQueen runway shows, or fur-coated, Méret Oppenheim tea cups, looking and not touching defines them as art. I digress from my tangent and bring us finally to the NBMAA. Though we do not have over-the-top, solely decorative pieces of furniture on permanent display, we do have many gorgeous and functioning benches to rest upon and to aid in admiring our art. Artist designed and fabricated, some benches are treated as works accessioned by the Museum, while others simply fill a gap where our visitors may need to sit. I wonder how many of these crafted works are ignored, cast aside as a place to stop and tie your shoe or to ponder instead Alfred Bierstadt’s landscapes. Just because they are set below eye level, used and not gawked at, does not make them any less artistically valuable. It is merely a matter of changing perspective.

Pencil chair, 2005, Kerstin Schulz (b. Germany, 1967), Wooden chair, pencils

BARCAWooden Chair Inspired Big Boats, 2013, Jakob Joerdensen (b. Scandanavia, 1977)

The Mycelium Chair, 2013, Eric Klarenbeek  (b. Amsterdam, 1978), 3D printed chair, powdered plastic, mycelium

I’ve thought about this notion for quite some time now. Long before Marcel Duchamp made a urinal thought-provoking and a reclined shovel beautiful, or young hip artists coated home goods in glass—to prove psychological or emotional points—there were craftsmen who united form and function more subtly in an approachable manner. I think back to my recent four-month stay in Vienna, Austria, the works of the Secessionist architecture and design tycoons Otto Wagner (1841-1918), Josef Hoffman (1870-1956) and Koloman Moser (1868-1918) coming to mind. I question the paradigm of beauty and utility that they theorized, revolutionized and perhaps even prophesied back in turn of the century Vienna. Though a thought shared by these men in the Wiener Werkstatte (Vienna Workshop) was that practicality, or function, and beauty could not coexist in design, I saw clear contradiction in their work. I all along thought their intention was to forge art and life. Curiously I find myself working at the Museum, filled with what I consider this very opposition—handmade and charmingly designed wooden, stone, bronze and steel benches to look at AND rest on, adorning each gallery, as well as a new gallery dedicated solely to Shaker ephemera. It is true that these works are not outlandish, riveting, visceral or even frightening like some more contemporary pieces boast, but they still deserve to be simultaneously appreciated as art and practical pieces. They are truly works you can sit on!

“Long before Marcel Duchamp made a urinal thought-provoking and a reclined shovel beautiful, or young hip artists coated home goods in glass...”

Of our benches, my favorite is Tommy Simpson’s 2005 A Kiss and a Spoon Bring Dessert on Soon!. This playfully titled creation presents us with a myriad of woods: walnut, orange, laurel, oak and zebra wood. As with differing pigments, Simpson selected each wood for not only is durability and malleability, but also I would assume its hue and grain pattern. The whimsy of this bench is evoked in the natural curved edges, etched font, swirls and divots. If it weren’t overshadowed by Edwin Church’s masterpiece before it, and instead set in a bare room, I would argue that people would call it art. A visitor favorite, the chubby bronze bear bench, also should be discussed. Is Grizzly Bear Bench by Judy Kensley McKie not just a statue tipped on its front, its textured back smoothed by our behinds? The Shaker gallery is, however, a display of furniture pieces that are certainly not meant to be touched or used. This is only due to their age, as back in their heyday men, women, and children used these wooden works to write letters, make meals, knit, and read. I would deduce, then, that it is only the passage of time in this case that transforms the once usable objects into items meant for admiration in a gallery. They are now artifacts, admired for the beauty which they may or may not have been created for.

All in all, I aim for opening a discussion on whether or not what we use around us is categorically art. Though I appreciate the Avant-guard, refurbished chairs found in the likes of the MoMA or Metropolitan Museum of Art, I question whether the ‘mundane,’ if you will, can be considered just as valuable. Not in a gallery space, but your house or office, is where I would like to find this form of art. Next time you visit the New Britain Museum of American Art, or any museum—anywhere with furniture for that matter—take  a closer look at what you’re sitting on.

A Kiss and a Spoon Bring Dessert on Soon, 2004-05, Tommy Simpson (b.1939), Top Claro Walnut, Osage Orange, American Orange, Connecticut Laurel, Zebra wood and English Oak

This post comes to us from Reagan Georges, curatorial intern

Elizabeth Gage is a renowned master designer of jewelry. She studied at Sir John Cass College in London, where she learned the skills needed to bring life to her designs. She loves to incorporate historical objects into her work, repurposing both found items as well as heirloom pieces. One of her pins that I find most striking renews the ancient symbol of Aquila, a mythical, Roman eagle said to be attendant to Jupiter.

During my research, I discovered that the eagle Aquila is mentioned several times in the Greco-Roman myths of Mount Olympus and Jupiter. One story tells of Jupiter seeing a young boy Ganymede on earth and desiring him to come up to Mount Olympus and act as the official cupbearer. Aquila then gently flies down to earth and fulfills Jupiter’s bidding by carefully retrieving the boy.

However, the most common myths depict Aquila’s more menacing nature. Prometheus, one of the last Titan gods, stole rays of sun for mankind to use as fire. Jupiter sentenced him to live eternally chained to a mountain and be eaten alive everyday by the eagle Aquila. Aquila was also believed to be the deliverer of Jupiter’s thunderbolts and was catalogued as a Greek constellation by the astronomer Ptolemy in the 2nd century.

The Romans used a representation of Aquila on all of their military battle standards. The standards were carried by the Aquilifers, with the eagle image meant to inspire the army and symbolize the Roman rule of nations and the honor of Rome itself. You can see the widespread influence of the eagle’s inspiration in the federal seal of the United States.

Elizabeth Gage revives this symbol in a unique and fresh design. Informed by both nature and history, the Aquila Pin is molded out of white gold and covered in partially-carved tourmaline that forms the majestic shape of an eagle head and body. Although the head is large, the piece is balanced through the textured plating weighting the lower half. The bird is armored in white gold and crowned with a pearl, showing his notability and importance. I think that the materials artfully contrast with the central Roman coin, grounding the piece with historical significance and a sense of journey.

Aquila Pin, 1988 Pearl, Roman coin, tourmaline, white gold Private Collection

In addition to incorporating history into her jewelry, Elizabeth Gage enjoys repeating her original forms with variations. One of her favorite designs to recreate is the Kiss Pin design, which always depends upon a center stone as the focal point. The Kiss Pin has evolved with time, but the central stone is consistently surrounded by four smaller stones. Elizabeth draws her inspiration from the long necks of tribal women wrapped in gold rings.

Seen here is her earliest Kiss Pin, made at the beginning of her career. The Minoan Seal Pin integrates steatite intaglios seals from Crete with South Sea pearls.  Each seal depicts a different craft and acts as an identifying signature for their previous owner.

What attracts you to jewelry? How do the colors, shapes, and textures affect your perception of the art? How do you relate your history and heritage to the pieces that you choose to wear?

These exquisite pieces, along with 203 of her other works are on display at the New Britain Museum of American Art until July 26. This is the Museum’s first exhibit examining contemporary jewelry as an art form. I invite you to come and experience a seamless translation of history into beautiful, wearable design.

This post comes to you from Olivia Rettstatt, Curatorial Intern

Untitled, Cindy Sherman, 2000. Cebachchrome print. New Britain Museum of American Art, Members Purchase Fund (2000.88)

Cindy Sherman has been a forerunner in the world of self-portraiture since the eighties, but her greatest strength is truly the art of disguise. She is a bold artist who is unafraid to expose the ugly, the awkward, the sexy, and the imperfect: all using her own body though often she is unrecognizable. For that, I admire her honest and somewhat melancholic photographs that transform her age, race, occupation, ethnicity, era, and even gender. I am fascinated by her oeuvre, which I would argue should include the talents and professions of makeup artist, costume designer, actress, director, model and hairdresser…not just photographer. She is needless to say a jack-of-all-trades, and I am proud that I intern at a museum featuring one of her many aliases. As a photography novice, I am also intrigued by her conceptual visions and air of fantasy that I often cannot find in untouched images. She does everything from successfully mimicking 16th century masterpieces to evolving into creepy clowns.

Untitled #224, Cindy Sherman,1990. Chromogenic color print. (after Carravagio’s Sick Bacchus c.1593) Collection of Linda and Jerry Janger, Los Angeles

Untitled #425, Cindy Sherman, 2004. Chromogenic color print. Collection of Jennifer and David Stockman

This multifaceted artist has a photograph for everyone; she never limits herself to what she wants to create and evoke in her challenging and sometimes controversial images. By leaving many of her works untitled, the viewer is left to fill in their own feelings and stories. As a woman, she was making waves in art and society well before Hilary Clinton ran for president, but calling her a feminist advocate is another blog post entirely. I am far more concerned with her imagination and dialogue to need to call gender into the mix. Sherman pioneered the examination of self for her fellow artists as well as the many men and women who viewed her work; she gave viewers an opportunity to be introspective. Curator of photography at MoMA, Eva Respini, highlighted the importance of this so-called “Cindy Sherman effect” when discussing her 2012 retrospective exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art:

“A number of younger artists are very much indebted to [her] in their exploration of not just identity but also the nature of representation…we all take it for granted that a photograph can be Photoshopped. We live in the era of YouTube fame and reality-TV shows and makeovers, where you can be anything you want to be any minute of the day... Cindy was one of the first to explore the idea of the malleability or fluidity of identity.”—Eva Respini, MoMA

In a lot of ways, Sherman is a sociologist and social psychologist. She suggests—maybe even proves—that identity actually is only skin deep. We may identify ourselves by our morals and our actions, but the public often categorizes us based solely on what they see, often causing disconnect. Though Sherman validates this potentially problematic occurrence, I envy her ability to be so transcendent just with the power of her creative hair and makeup choices, nothing done electronically. Part of me likes to think that many of her characters live within her, as representations of the facets each and every one of us has. In a 2011 The Guardian article she recalled her interest with dressing up as a young girl as a way to please others and to escape, declaring, “If you don't like me this way, how about you like me this way?” As a young adult, Sherman had another epiphany I found could be particularly relatable, "… I would just go in my bedroom when I was depressed and I'd turn into characters – and [my boyfriend] said, 'You should be documenting this. It's really interesting what you're doing.' It hadn't occurred to me that I was doing anything unusual."

If you think about it, how much more cathartic can it get than disappearing into another character, another identity when the real world is too much to handle? Dressing up may seem childish to many of us, but can we disagree with Sherman that the act is not somewhat liberating, to be able to take a break from being us? Just as Sherman uses costumes as a way to distract from a battered relationship with her father, today’s teens—and even adults—use outlandish or extensive amounts of makeup, hair color, clothing and even plastic surgery to be anything but their natural selves. Sherman proves that the desire to change the female—or flat-out human—body began long before an obsession with Kim Kardashian’s rear and selfies on the iPhone 6.

Sources:

The New Britain Museum of American Art is pleased to present our next New/NOW artist Katja Loher, whose exhibition will be on display from June 6- November 1, 2015. Loher recently gave a talk at the Museum and we were fortunate to be able to sit down and ask her a few questions about her creative process.

Katja Loher, VideoPlanets Series, 2014, Video Projector, mediaplayer,sphere, Courtesy of the Artist

New Britain Museum of American Art: You were born in Switzerland, but have exhibited all over the world- Asia, Russia, UK, Italy, South America, and North America. How has all of this traveling influenced your work?

Katja Loher: It has been a big source of inspiration. It is interesting because my work is very universal, which allows me to become inspired by every culture. Traveling has brought me out of my little world and shown me a bigger picture. Traveling has also given me a bird’s-eye view and a different perspective on how others around the world view my work. I have started to film my travels, which I am incorporating into some of my upcoming shows.

NBMAA: Your videos are avant-garde kaleidoscopes, which have a way of making the viewer leave searching for answers. How do you approach each work to capture this feeling?

KL: I reach out to questions because for me it is the most interesting way to speak about ideas and concerns instead of delivering answers. I want to make people think. I approached it very literal many years ago when I created the video alphabet. In an earlier Videoplanet I included the video alphabet, which involved choreographed dancers to form individual words and ask questions. This made it very literal, but some of my other pieces are abstract and not so obvious.

NBMAA: You use a lot of dancers in your videos. Do you have a background in dance?

KL: No, my background is actually in fine art/visual art. I just reach out to dancers because I realized I needed them to translate my art. My very first Videoplanet I created involved my friends. I filmed them below from a rooftop in Brooklyn, NY.

Katja Loher, Portal 4, Self-Contained video-sculpture; acrylic hemisphere, video screen embedded in wooden white finished case, Courtesy of the Artist

NBMAA: Your Videoportal, Bubbles, and Videoplanets series are all incased in beautiful blown glass spheres. Why spheres?  

KL: Spheres grow out of the idea of microcosms and building entire worlds. That is why they tend to be round opposed to other shapes and it also fits my esthetic choice.

NBMAA: Having a vision and translating it into video seems like a difficult task. How does your concept evolve throughout the processes of creating a video portal? Are you ever unable to capture what you have envisioned for a video?

KL: It is a process that you have to go through. I begin by planning fictional projects by not thinking about the technical aspect, which allows me to think about the big idea. Then, I sort of go through a process of having an abstract feeling about colors and the ability to translate my ideas into a physical piece. There is always a solution. It might be different from what you first thought, but I work until it translates into what I was searching for.

NBMAA: Do you collaborate with fellow artists for the choreography, costumes, set design, and music?

KL: Yes, I have many long-term collaborators with whom I have been working since I have lived in New York, almost ten years. Directing one of my videos is almost like directing a movie except on a three-dimensional level. The work goes through many different steps. First is the concept and then prepping for the video, which includes creating costumes, choreography, storyboards, and props. It then goes into the actual shooting, which involves video personnel- such as the dancers. Then post production video editing, which I’m still doing myself. It is a lot. I cannot be good at everything so it is great to have different talents to collaborate with. When you have worked with someone for so long they start to learn your style.

NBMAA: I love your Endangered Species series featuring pollinating insects approaching extinction. It’s such a fun quirky way to reach a diverse audience on the dangers of pesticides. How long does it take to research the insect’s movement and behavior before you produce a video?

KL: It is sometimes a long process. The Endangered Species series was inspired from a prop in the video from the Last Supper? and the research was a yearlong process. I like this series because it is more scientific and directly opposite to my other abstract pieces where the message is hard to find inside.

Katja Loher, Endangered Species, Butterfly, 2014, Self-contained video- sculpture; acrylic pills, video screen,  Courtesy of the Artist

NBMAA: With the rapid innovations of technology, what are you craving to create which seems unattainable now?  Would you ever like your work to become holograms?

KL: It is challenging because technology constantly changes. For me, technology does not stand in front. It is a tool to translate my ideas and I use it to build a sculpture. The most difficult thing I am finding out about technology is that the size and shape of the screens are changing.

NBMAA: What inspires you?

KL: I am inspired by what I see. For me, inspiration comes from different mediums -- music, film, poetry, nature.

NBMAA: What would be a piece of advice you would give to someone trying to come into the art world?

This post comes to us from Nicole Hooks, Curatorial Intern.

Currently on display at the New Britain Museum of American Art is Karl Lund’s NEW/NOW exhibition, Angry Robots Liquefied My Brain, a series illustrating a world where robots and giant squids are at war. Lund is a Simsbury native who earned a BFA from Pratt Institute and a MFA in Computer Animation from The School of Visual Arts. Lund kindly answered a few questions on the inspiration behind his unique series.

 New Britain Museum of American Art: Angry Robots Liquefied My Brain depicts a world where robots fight giant squids and exterminate countless enemies with powerful laser beams. What inspired you to pit robots against giant squids?  Why robots? Why giant squids?

Karl Lund: I was drawing and painting a lot of giant squids attacking airplanes from 2005 – 2009. I was also dabbling in robots here and there during that same time period. In 2010 I started focusing on angry robots and put down the squid for a while. Most of the earlier angry robot paintings are more like portraits. The compositions are tightly focused on the robots and laser weaponry. When I painted the larger paintings for the NBMAA show I had plenty of “canvas real estate” to zoom out and paint the robots and their adversaries. Given that I had painted a lot of squid and cephalopod creatures just prior to my angry robot phase, the battle between squid and robot was a natural one for me.

NBMAA:  In your biography you mention that your art usually leads back to the conflict between the natural and the synthetic. Why is this theme important for you?  What types of answers and questions have arisen as you illustrate this constant battle?

KL: I don’t really set out to paint this theme (natural vs. synthetic), but it continues to show up in my work if you look for it. Some of this might be the fact that in the robot paintings I am starting out with a synthetic protagonist (the robots) usually in a natural setting or context. I think that the conflict usually grows out of these opposing two building blocks.  

I will say that although I am not an activist, it is agonizing to see what has been done and is being done to our amazing planet in the name of greed – or in some cases, the need to survive. Deforestation of the rainforests, global warming, poaching, and illegal hunting of endangered species, colossal oil spills, and strip mining are just a few examples that really weigh heavily on my soul. Maybe some of my disdain for these types of acts permeates into my work at a base level.  

NBMAA: You have a MFA (Master of Fine Arts) in Computer Animation from The School of Visual Arts. As an animator and artist do you usually work with both mediums when you are creating? If so, do you ever have difficulties with the change of medium?

KL: This is a good and interesting question! I am going to break down my answer into two parts.

Part 1 –computer tools vs analogue tools to create my artwork:

I am finding that my work method and work flow is ever evolving. I use both analogue (drawing on paper) and digital mediums to create my work. I find drawing with a pencil on paper to be the best and most direct way to get my ideas down on paper. Using pencil frees my mind from the distractions of the unending options that the digital world offers. When I am using a pencil, the options are to draw or erase. Once I have the idea or part of the idea sketched out, I will often use my iPad to photograph my drawing and then modify it more in the digital realm. Sometimes the image will be printed out and I will start drawing it again on paper or tracing paper. Many images ‘ping pong’ from the analogue to the digital and back to the analogue again before I finalize a design. I also find that doing color tests and comps on the iPad is extremely helpful.

I have been using 3D modeling/animation software sparingly in the last few years – usually just to visualize objects in certain perspectives. I plan on getting back into 3D modeling in the near future, but right now as my time for creating artwork is limited, I find I am more productive drawing on paper and sculpting in clay or other found objects. As I am on the computer all day at my job, it is nice NOT to be working on the computer when I get home. I also use the Internet to do visual research on characters and concepts that I am painting and designing.    

Part 2- How does the medium of Animation factor into my work:

Animation can involve a narrative or story. With my recent work I feel that I am writing part of that story and designing my painting around a pivotal moment in that story. Unlike an animated film, I haven’t flushed out the entire story. I am intrigued by storyboarding and the visual narrative found in animation, comics, and graphic novels. I could see doing pieces in the future that involve more sequential art and story.

NBMAA: What animator and or artist, if any, have inspired you when creating your works of art?

KL: This is a long list! I will name just a few

Animators:

Ray Harryhausen (1920-2013) – Stop motion animation deity! Movies such as Golden Voyage of Sinbad, The Golden Fleece, Clash of the Titans, and more.

Phil Tippet (b. 1951) - (worked on Empire Strikes Back among other milestone movies)

Tim Burton (b. 1958) – wonderful character design and stories!

Chris Wedge (b. 1957) – co founder of Blue Sky Animation studios. I had the good fortune of being in a class taught by Chris Wedge while I was at School of Visual Arts. He was an amazing teacher. He animated the light cycles in (the original) Tron and also wrote, directed, and animated the short film called Bunny, which won an Oscar.

Robert McKimson (1910-1977) – who designed and animated the coolest version of Bugs Bunny for Warner Brothers in the early 1940s.

Artists:

Salvador Dali (1904-1989)

Roy Lichtenstein (1923-1997)

Robert Williams (b.1943)

Todd Schorr (b.1954)

Keith Haring (1958-1990)

M.C. Escher (1898-1972)

NBMAA: Science fiction is a major inspiration behind many of your works. Has any other genre inspired you?

KL: As far as literary genres go – I would say Fantasy.

NBMAA: As a fan of science fiction and comics are there any comics that have inspired you?  If so, how?

KL: Yes! Here are a few:

The Dark Knight Returns, 1986, by Frank Miller. Amazing story telling and “out of the box” character treatment

Hellboy, 1994, by Mike Mignola. Beautiful narrative flow – also amazing visual simplicity and crazy stories

Arzach, 1975, by Moebius – surreal landscapes and story line – often with no dialogue

Anything by - Phillipe Druillet (b. 1944) – very “out there” visuals – very cosmic.

Anything by Jack Kirby (1917-1994)  

NBMAA: Other than robots and giant squids, are there any other characters or creatures you have been thinking about bring in it your works of art?

KL: I have been thinking about doing some paintings of giant waves of cheese – inspired by my being somewhat lactose intolerant. There might be some kind of creatures in there – who live in fondu –ha!

There are many more times and worlds for me to visit in my paintings, which will yield many more creatures. A few of them might be:

The molten-tongued three headed Yerp

The slime covered Blemcka of the Dooridan

The massive burrowing Fleth

NBMAA: Has seeing the Angry Robots Liquefied My Brain series completed inspired any new ideas or concepts?

KL: Yes, it has inspired new ideas, but I think the most powerful thing that it has done for me is to reaffirm the concept that if you set a goal and work very hard at it – you can achieve it.

I’d also like to roll this out there and I don’t mean to sound flakey or cheesy – don’t let go of your dreams. You may have to scale them back, or modify them, but don’t ever let anyone tell you that you can’t do something. If you love doing something like painting, writing, dancing, playing an instrument – set some goals and work towards them. You may have to make sacrifices in your schedule, which can be painful, but if you want to achieve something you will have to work at it. You may surprise yourself by what you achieve!

Mary Cassatt, "A Caress," 1891, Pastel on paper, Harriet Russell Stanley Fund

“Art is the child of nature in whom we trace the features of the mother’s face.” -Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

With Mother’s Day around the corner on Sunday, May 10 and the 171st anniversary of Mary Cassatt’s birth on the 22nd, the New Britain Museum of American Art is the perfect place to celebrate mothers!

During her lifetime Mary Stevenson Cassatt (1844-1926) achieved a level of success and critical acclaim unheard of for a woman artist. Known as one of “les grandes dames” of the Impressionist movement, Cassatt’s expatriation to France allowed her to hone her talents and collaborate with the other artistic geniuses of the day. One of these great Impressionists was Edgar Degas (1834-1917), with whom she often collaborated and maintained a friendship for some forty years until the death of Degas in 1917.

Apart from her modern style of impressionistic line work and palatte of pastel hues, Cassatt’s focus on female portraiture made her works truley unique. Whether it be old women, young debutantes, doting mothers, or mischevious children, Cassatt’s ability to capture the souls and sentiments of her subjects gives viewers a glimpse into the highly private sphere of womanhood during the turn of the century. Her own gender, often considered a drawback as a professional artist, not only allowed her to gain a more relaxed audience and relationship with her sitter, but allowed her to truly know those “female” feelings, ideas, wants, and thoughts of her subjects that no male artist, regardless of talent, could portray.

A Caress is one of the NBMAA’s most popular works. The soft colors, the peachy flesh of the toddler’s plump cheeks, and the delicate pattern of flowers on his mother’s dress give the work a relaxed, unposed feel. As if just walking into a room, or peeking through a doorway, A Caress gives the feeling that one has stumbled upon a private scene, a bathing or a preparing for bed, a ritual that child and mother perform everyday. The interlocked eyes of the little family do not stray from each other’s faces, ignorant or unperturbed by the viewer, a comfortable stare of affection between mother and child centers of the image. Mirroring this intense gaze the configuration of arms, hands, and feet intertwine the sitters, implying an infinite, circular geometry of “permanent maternity.”

Barbara Bosworth, Bill above Millers Rivers, MA, 2012, Inkjet, Gift of the artist, courtesy of the National Park Service

“Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads.” ― Henry David Thoreau, Walden

The last, stubborn snow banks have melted. Lawns and parks are delightfully muddy with yellowish tufts of grass making their first appearance since the flurries of December. Parkas and heavy down jackets have been put back into the closet in exchange for lighter fare. Spring has come to Connecticut at last and what better way to mark the turning of the season than celebrating Earth Day on April 22?

Earth Day, first established in 1970, has been a way for people all across the globe to enjoy and pay respect to the planet that we make our home, something artists have been doing for thousands of years through their work. Whether it is lush forest landscapes, violent ocean swells, or idyllic New England pastures, the New Britain Museum of American Art is home to a wide variety of artworks, which celebrate the splendor of nature.

Thomas Cole, The Clove, Catskills, c.1826, Oil on canvas, Charles F. Smith Fund, 1945.22

Take for example of Hudson River School founder Thomas Cole’s The Clove, Catskills. Cole’ s romantic, yet painstakingly detailed, landscape gives the audience a view of a vast, unsolid landscape of upstate New York in autumn.

Frederic Edwin Church, West Rock, New Haven, 1849, Oil on canvas, John Butler Talcott Fund, 1950.11

Landscapes remained extremely popular throughout antebellum America. No doubt this is why Frederic Edwin Church chose to paint West Rock, New Haven. The azure sky and lazing clouds above are reflected in the water below and provide a heavenly framework for the ochre cliffs looming on the horizon. The happy, albeit industrious Yankee farmers in the foreground also hint at Church’s own delight at the return of spring.

Valerie Hagerty, West Rock with Branches, 2012, Wood, wire, epoxy, archival print on canvas, acrylic paint, gel mediums, sand, glue, hardware, Paul. W. Zimmerman Purchase Fund, 2011.104

Mirroring Church’s portrayal of an idyllic Connecticut farmland is Valerie Hegarty’s West Rock with Branches. Painted in 2012, the productivity of Church’s New Englanders and the succeeding generations over 150 years has come to a disastrous conclusion. The ravages of pollution, uncontrolled growth, and a lack of care for the natural world emanates from the charred canvas and gnarled tree limbs escaping from the frame.

And while it is important, especially on Earth Day, to remember the importance of protecting and preserving the natural world, April 22 is also a day to celebrate the beauty of the flaura and fauna that continues to be a source of inspiration and recreation for everyone, artists included. In Bill Above Millers River, MA, Barbara Bosworth’s panorama of the Massachusetts wilderness resembles the traditional triptych style of altar paintings so popular in the middle ages and Renaissance-a true homage to the wonders of the natural world.

Albert Bierstadt, Seal Rock, c.1872-87, Oil on canvas on wood paneled stretcher, A.W. Stanley Fund, 1962.14

Thomas Adkins, Backroads Winter, 2014, Oil on canvas, 20 x 40 in.

This past January, the New Britain Museum of American Art hosted its 45th Annual Juried Member’s Exhibition: The Nor’Easter. Over a two week period, our visitors voted for their favorite work on display in the McKernan Gallery. Congratulations to Thomas Adkins, our 2015 Visitor’s Choice award winner for his painting, Backroads Winter!

New Britain Museum of American Art: In your winning painting Backroads Winter, you depict a scene of snow banks and sun-kissed evergreens. Is this a place you visit often? Where is it located?

Thomas Adkins: Backroads Winter is located in Newcastle, Maine, but I felt that is it could be anywhere in New England. What attracted me to that particular location was the quiet solitude as I came around a corner. I usually go for a morning drive until something strikes me, it’s usually in an instant and it’s intuitive. But at that location, it was the sky. There was a yellow band just on the horizon that was complemented by the purple of the hills, while the road kind of led your eye into it. The yellow lighting (it was early morning) appeared on the tops of the trees and the hills. I usually do smaller paintings on location, plein air, and take those back and work on these in my studio.

NBMAA: What type of landscape and season are you most inspired by?

TA: I kind of favor the winter, but I paint year round. To me, the winter has more color subtlety than the monotonous greens in a summer scene. In the fall and winter, especially the winter, the colors are very subtle and there seems to be more colors in the subtleness. I have a place up in Maine so I do some marine scenes, but for the most part I paint in Connecticut in the northwest corner, Litchfield County, there’s a lot of farms and open space that are not quite as populated. I crave the solitude of a location, something that transcends the visual, and creates the mood, and the feeling of the place.

NBMAA: In the past, you worked as an art director and creative director at an advertisement firm. In what way did that experience influence your style of painting?

TA: From a graphic stand point, it absolutely influenced my style. I studied fine art and commercial art. I earned some of my income through being an art director and designer; there is always a strong sense of design in most painting. Doing commercial work, you still have your hands involved in the design of things, the color, and composition so I think it does influence my work in a positive way.

NBMAA: Describe your method to preserve the fine details in an ever-changing landscape. Do you paint on location or take a photo to recall the environment in which you started the painting?

TA: I usually start with a plein air painting, when hiking, walking, or driving in my car I will find that special moment, and I will actually paint in my vehicle in winter and outside during the other seasons. I typically do smaller paintings from 8 x 10 in. up to 12 x 16 in. I will spend about two to three hours doing that plein air piece and I’ll take a few snap shots. I take the photographs not for color because cameras don’t capture color right or composition and mood but for drawing and reference of a particular place. I take those plein air studies back to the studio and I’ll do some additional sketches to work out the composition. I will draw it onto a larger canvas with pencil or charcoal and I’ll give it a coat of burnt sienna to seal in the pigment that also allows me to not work on a bright white canvas. I’ll put my first block in of warmer tones followed by layers of cooler tones to get that vibration coming through. This process typically consists of a two to three layers of paint worked over a carefully drawn composition. A medium size painting will take 20-30 hours. I work on a few paintings at a time while visiting and adjusting the painting occasionally over the next weeks or months. So from beginning to end, it could be about three months.

NBMAA: When creating a new piece, most say the hardest part is painting the first stoke. Do you find this to be true? What is your process to begin a new painting?

TA: Getting started is a little scary. You have something envisioned in your mind but you don’t quite know where to start. However, I find that I like to attack the beginning stages very boldly with big brushes, a lot of pigment and just attack it very rough and very quick and really just get the feeling going. As I carry on with the painting, I then deal with the color nuances of warm and cool light to get that desired effect I envision. Always keeping in mind what I am trying to say about a particular place.

NBMAA: On your website you mention your style is contemporary realist. Who would you say is your biggest influence?

TA: Early on, I would say Winslow Homer. I studied all his paintings and designs. Though his paintings are over a hundred years old, they still hold true. Willard Metcalf is another and the current artist Peter Poskas. I find that it doesn’t matter what period of art, everything influences me. Any good piece of art, whether it’s abstract or Vermeer, it is an influence.

NBMAA: You have the phenomenal ability to capture the feeling of warmth through your usage of light. Is this purposeful or just a blissful accident?

TA: Always. Beside a sense of place in location, it would be the lighting that is most important to me. I paint early morning or early evening. I’m looking for the way the light refracts onto objects. For every part of the painting, my decision is influenced by what the light is doing to that object or form. Lighting is key.

NBMAA: What would you say to anyone who is trying to start out to be an artist?

TA: If you are doing it for the monetary value, forget it. You have to do it for the love of it. In my early twenties I didn’t paint for a year or two and I was miserable. It’s something intuitive. Don’t get discouraged in your early works. Your first 500 paintings you will probably throw away. The greatest teacher for me was painting life from nature, whether it was painting from still life or going outdoors. Regardless of your style or technique, even if it is abstract or expressionism, if you paint from nature, nature gives you something and teaches you something that you’re not going to learn from books. Just paint as often as you can from nature.

”Laugh and the world laughs with you”

Catherine Ross’s Laugh Track “reveals an inherent awkwardness, a humor that echoes our own vulnerabilities.” New media artist, Catherine Ross has made her career by noticing those moments in life and in film that go unnoticed or unappreciated by the average viewer. Ross uses video to bring them to light, and has done so from the New Britain Museum to museums around the world in Brazil, Ireland, France, and others.

Installed in February 2015, Laugh Track is a compilation of, often recognizable, men and women laughing in film, from the heydays of black and white film sirens and movie stars such as Katherine Hepburn and Bette Davis to contemporary actors and actresses like Tom Hanks and funny-woman Kristen Wiig.

Laugh Track (50 sec PREVIEW) from Catherine Ross on Vimeo.

Laugh Track seamlessly jumps from decade to decade, creating a sequence of laughs, chortles, sniggers, guffaws, titters, and uproarious outbursts of mirth. Standing in front of Catherine Ross’s work, one cannot help but to smile.

As the piece continues, specific laughs from cinematic classics, like Julia Robert’s iconic toothy chuckle or Eddie Murphy’s hee-haw, will undoubtedly inspire the viewer to partake in the “ha-ha session.” Like Mia Farrow’s opening, reluctant “ha,” the viewer may at first be wary, only smiling perhaps, but by the end of Ross’s video many are found to be mirroring the belly-clutching snorts echoed on the screen. Laughter, like crying, is something so very simple, yet so intrinsically human that it sets people apart from the rest of the organic living world, whilst at the same time drawing human-beings together in a shared emotional response.

Though the emotions, and perhaps the laughs as well, may be studied and forced by the actor’s featured on Catherine Ross’s Laugh Track, the smiles and giggles of all who view it are real!