Jim Adkins Exhibition
Body Art an exhibition of contemporary realist oil paintings and drawings that focus on the human form in the nude.
Exhibit: September 6 - October 30, 2022
Gallery: The Rouse Company Foundation Gallery
Reception: Friday September 30, 2022, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Meet Jim Adkins in this month's segment of "In the Spotlight"
Artist Statement
I am a contemporary realist, although I also do abstract painting. I use representation since content is critical. Concept is the key, (although I do not do conceptualism). I use letters as shapes and like to paint words, though my meaning is different from that of Tom Wolfe and his book The Painted Word. He writes about art theory. I owe a debt to Jenny Saville for labeling images of her body as pieces of meat. I also owe a debt to other women artists like Lisa Yuksavage, Nancy Spero, and Joan Semmel. I owe a debt to traditional male artists like Rembrandt, Degas, Picasso, and Matisse (Bauhaus- approved artists) for contributing to art-making as I know it; the Bauhaus artists and architects believed in flatness and simultaneity. (Sometimes I like to embed an image within another image). I also tend to use non-rectangular canvas shapes to give my work a different look. I like the activity resulting from the angularity of shaped canvases.
I believe in life drawing as an important part of art-making since the nude is a universal representation of the human body. The relationship we have as human beings goes back to our common ancestor, a woman from Africa. I am working on a series with a black Eve and a white Adam. Both Jenny Saville and Joan Semmel made important contributions to painting through their depiction of the human body. Pablo Picasso and Edward Hopper were consummate designers and you can see that drawing, design, and concept are critical to art-making. As you can also see, I like the dialogue with other artists.
I find it important to disavow the representation of Soviet Realism and Nazi Realism which were propaganda tools and just as oppressive as Abstract Expressionism was to American artists of the 20th Century.
Gallery Hours
| Day | Hours |
|---|---|
| Open Daily | 10:00 a.m. - 9:30 p.m. |
The gallery is closed if the college is closed.
The gallery administrators reserve the right to amend gallery hours for reasons of security.
The college’s top priority remains the health, safety, and well-being of the college community. This includes the staff, students, artists, and patrons who participate in events presented in the Horowitz Center. Below you'll find information about what you can expect when you attend an exhibit or performance in the Horowitz Center this season.