On Wednesday, Sept. 18, the Goldman Schwartz art studio presented its new exhibition of student artwork created over the summer of 2013. The paintings (advertised as “new work from home and abroad”) are currently available for viewing in the Goldman Schwartz hallway. The exhibit features all kinds of student pieces, including paintings, sketches, architectural designs, and sculptures. Art is visible as soon as the viewer enters the studio, and as a result the building’s windows highlight the art very well. The art itself is very impressive.
From the still life to the experimental statuettes that decorate the hall, the pieces emanate a sense of unbridled creativity as well as calm. One can almost feel the influence of the summer in them, and it is quite relaxing to walk through the Goldman Schwartz building and look at them. It is also clear that several of the pieces were created while the artists were abroad, because of an inexplicable feeling of foreignism. Many of the pieces are fairly traditional in their structure and genre, but there’s a sense that the artists were not necessarily used to their surroundings. There are many small drawings hanging on the walls that show clear influence from Japanese anime and other central Asian pop art, as well as cityscapes that look too old and a little too foreign to belong in the United States.
Some of the most eye-catching art is that by Marissa Lazar ’14, whose sketch drawings of human faces and small paintings of lakeside views evoke a stark, natural beauty. Also worth attention are small architectural models by Mark Borreliz ’14, who made little paper houses, complete with small paper people standing in them, the kind of home that looks fun to live in. Perhaps my favorite works were a series of nature paintings by Yi Wang, who seems to have mastered the subject. The colors and composition are entrancing and beautiful, sometimes hauntingly. Wang’s work is immersive, and I would be very excited to see future pieces.
The only thing that did not jive for the average viewer was the format of the exhibit, which did not feature any information except the names of about four or five of the artists. In turn, these names were scribbled onto small pieces of paper and post-its, and hidden in the corner. I would have liked to know the names of all the artists and to where they traveled (if they did at all) along with when they were creating the art, because the artists on display in the exhibit are talented and deserve that credit.
Overall, the studio has succeeded in creating a proper space to show the talent of Brandeis art students. Summer may be over and most of us are back stateside and in school, but exploring the world of the art in Goldman is a good way to bring back sweet summer memories.
