Green Glossy Glam by Chicago’s Elder Statesman: A Review of Karl Wirsum at Corbett vs. Dempsey
Wirsum returns after a six-year hiatus with a suite of candy-coated Imagist goodness.
De-Institutionalized Art: A Preview of Hasty Happenings at Co-Prosperity Sphere
The event aims to feature pieces submitted by the public, who are encouraged to submit new work created quickly and without refinement.
An Objectionable Object Lesson: A Review of “Rembrandt Portraits” at the Art Institute of Chicago
Four portraits by Rembrandt or his followers do little to help us understand the master’s approach to the genre.
Faded Beauty: A Review of Meghan Borah at Goldfinch Projects
Borah’s women are engaged in no physical or mental activity beyond just being themselves. There is, however, a melancholic feeling that this idyllic, arcadian state is as temporary as the materials from which these paintings were made.
Making Bouguereau Great Again: A Review of “Bouguereau & America” at the Milwaukee Art Museum
Bouguereau’s paintings delivered sentiment and craftsmanship to the American entrepreneurs who bought them in the rapidly growing economy of the Gilded Age. Quite free from that feudal commitment to the sacred social order that once demanded convincing greatness and profundity from pictorial art, these self-made men only wanted to be titillated, flattered, comforted and entertained.
Art That Refuses to Be Walked All Over: A Review of Jessica Campbell at the Museum of Contemporary Art
Campbell has a rare gift for revealing harsh truths with dark, funny, sumptuously textured pictures.
Vibrant Colors Offer Domestic Comfort: A Review of “Soak.Stroke.Scratch.” at Melanee Cooper Gallery
Three painters offer colorful comfort for morning, evening and night.
Wrought from Perseverance and Passion: A Review of Robert Johnson and E. Nix at Intuit
Alienation and nihilism are often themes of contemporary art, but unlike many artists, these two appear positively engaged and purpose driven.
Traces of Absence: A Review of SaraNoa Mark at Chicago Artists Coalition
By drawing awareness to the phenomena of extraction and recasting of objects in new geographic and political contexts, Mark foregrounds the growing tensions between the tightening of borders and an ever-intensifying movement of global human and material flow.
News and Analysis: Questions Arise When Art Institute Auctions Off Chinese Artworks (Updated)
A surprise sale of a number of Asian artworks from the Art Institute of Chicago’s permanent collection raises questions.
