Forsyth Gallery exhibit features profs’ new looks at paintings

“A Second Look,” a multimedia [exhibit] (http://uart.tamu.edu/second-look) at Texas A&M’s [Forsyth Gallery] (http://uart.tamu.edu/forsyth-permanent-collection) , features traditional paintings from the Forsyth’s collection displayed alongside reinterpretations of the pieces by area artists, including two faculty members at the Texas A&M College of Architecture.

The exhibit will be on display through Sept. 9, 2015, in the gallery, suite 2440 of Texas A&M’s [Memorial Student Center] (https://www.google.com/maps/place/Memorial+Student+Center/@30.612368,-96.3414782,15z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x90311327f8c2221d)

In “Portraits of a Portrait,” Krista Steinke, a visualization lecturer, created a triptych that provides a fresh take on a 19th-century copy of an 18th century portrait.

“I re-photographed a digital photo of the painting and distorted the imagery using various collage elements such as paint, plastic wrap, and Mylar,” said Steinke.  “My goal is to tease out new meaning through the poetry of materials and ask the viewer to reconsider the original portrait — or rather, the copy of the original portrait — from a different context.”

In another piece in the exhibit, Sherman Finch, assistant professor of visualization, created an interactive piece based on “A Texas Cotton Field,” a 1960s painting by Arthur Weaver.

“Weaver’s piece reflects on a cotton industry that is still thriving today, reminding us of the fine line a civil war, an industry’s exploitation of labor and a country’s newfound morality through the [Emancipation Proclamation] (http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/featured_documents/emancipation_proclamation/) ,” said Finch. “It is an important reminder in American history, a complex tapestry that is still being sewn today. “

Finch’s piece simulates how spools of thread are created when visitors turn two circular objects that spool a strand of cotton.