Spring Break
Artist combines old and new
The Josk Worn
Issue date: 3/15/04 Section: Entertainment
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She wanted to tweak one of the photographs she'd be showing in an exhibit titled "De Rei Natura, On the Nature of a Thing" at the College. The show ran from Jan. 22 to Feb. 23 in Communications Hall.
"See the line of his forehead," she said, pointing to a photograph lying in the developing chemicals. "It makes him look Romanesque, noble."
Chuck's work combines the old and the new. She used photographs from both digital and 4x5 view cameras.
In her murals for the exhibit, she placed photographs of the work of the show's three featured artists along with candid shots of each artist.
"De Rei Natura" was a photographic documentary of area artists Jack Eagle, Robert Ranieri and Karl Stirner. Accompanying it were several pieces by each featured artist. Eagle and Ranieri are painters and sculptors, and Stirner is a sculptor who also draws.
"All are veteran artists who have had different career paths but have made a life in art," said NCC Art professor Bruce Wall.
The featured artists live and work in the area - Stirner in Easton, Eagle in Coopersburg and Ranieri in Bucks County. All have some association with Philadelphia's Tyler School of Art.
Chuck chose to create a photo documentary of the artists because they had an influence on her early art career.
"Initially, I wanted these three canvases hung by strings but it didn't work," she said, standing in front of the canvases. "I wanted how they were hung to emphasize vulnerability. Taking photographs of individuals brings out their vulnerability."
The digital composition for each artist shows the strength of the artistic eye and the
vulnerability of the person.
While working on the project, Chuck saw patterns in each person, in his form, and then in his work. She said, "Doing a portrait takes the friendship to a different level."
Later, she added, "The thing is the cartilage which binds the artist to his work."
On one wall, the black and white portraits were intentionally shot out of focus to capture the essence of the person, Chuck explained.
"In general, I like how she is challenging the conventions of photojournalism by creating a marriage of her photographic sensibility, and her strong formalist concerns, with the documentation of these three artists," Wall said. "That is Alyssha."