The Justice

The unimaginatively titled "2-d Visual Work from Undergrad Students in Fine Arts" exhibit in Spingold Theater's Dreitzer Art Gallery showcases work from first-years, sophomores and juniors currently enrolled in Fine Arts classes at Brandeis, regardless of whether or not they are art majors. The result is artwork of scattered quality, something like what one might expect when reviewing the problem sets of an entire ECON 2a lecture hall. Some of the artwork reveals budding talent, a few pieces fail noticeably, and the vast majority is unobtrusively mediocre.

Several of the paintings depict the Brandeis campus. Hannah Richman '10, a "Beginning Painting" student, has painted Massell Pond using thick, short brushstrokes, rendering the scene just disorienting enough to inspire relieved appreciation when the viewer finally recognizes its subject. Danielle Friedman '08 of "Intermediate Painting" exhibits a vivid portrait of a woman against the backdrop of a campus pathway lined with brilliant fall foliage and protruding rocks. Friedman's exquisite juxtaposition of colors speaks to a personal affection for both subject and setting.

The exhibit's understandably repetitive subject matter is most noticeable among the artwork from "Basic Visual Concepts in Painting," where students have portrayed different perspectives of the same still-life arrangements. Although the work in this section is more consistently polished than that in the rest of the exhibit, the similar content makes it harder for artists to grab the viewer's attention. Grace Noh '11 does just that with stunningly rich shades of blue in her painting of several bottles. Emily Gelb's '11 work catches the eye with her jarring placement of a skeleton hovering over a standard still-life pile of oranges. While several students present straightforward depictions of a cluttered room, Jonathan Kindness '09 presents a gleefully deconstructed approach to the same subject. Kindness paints some elements of the room carelessly, allowing them to drip and blend into each other, while other objects are neatly detailed, resulting in a style that fits the jumbled content of the still life.

"Intermediate Painting" student Sam Mell '09 displays the exhibit's most emotionally affecting work, with a crowd scene blotchily painted to evoke both rapid movement and anonymity. His subjects face the viewer without quite making eye contact, and the warmth of the color in their faces contrasts with the dark blue and black background to emphasize the scene's lack of intimacy.

The drawing and printmaking works are almost entirely uncredited, perhaps because they rarely surpass competence in their execution. Self-portraits from a USEM called "The Face in the Mirror: Drawing Out the Self" reflect commendable beginning effort on the part of the student artists.

Criticizing a show of artwork executed on assignment and often by beginners may seem inherently unfair, but one hopes that the exhibit in the Dreitzer Gallery will foster a sense of community among Brandeis artists of all levels. Other departments could benefit from requiring such self-exposure from novices in their disciplines. "2-d Visual Work from Undergrad Students in Fine Arts" will be on display until Feb. 15.

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