A choice exhibit
Terri Priest's Vermeer juxtapositions
by Leon Nigrosh
VERMEER WOMEN MAKING
CHOICES: NEW PAINTINGS BY TERRI PRIEST
at the University Gallery at Clark University, 950 Main Street, through April
7.
For the past three years Terri Priest has been having
conversations with other women. This, in itself, would not necessarily appear
to be very remarkable, except that the women with
whom she has been conversing are all over 300 years old. You may well ask if
Priest is some sort of mystic, medium, or clairvoyant. It's not known if she is
any or all of these, but as an artist, art teacher, and gallery owner she is
certainly an important figure in Worcester's art community. And the dialogues
she's been having have been with the women that appear in the paintings of
Dutch artist Jan Vermeer (1632-1675), all of whom seem confined to their
immediate surroundings. Priest wanted them to have the opportunity to do things
other than write notes or look out windows, and has attempted to do this by
placing them in contemporary settings chosen from among works created by a
number of modern artists.
Twelve paintings from Priest's newest narrative series are currently on display
in the University Gallery at Clark University, which was repainted and re-lit
especially for this exhibition. The first painting in the gallery, Vermeer
and Lichtenstein III, immediately sets the tone and lays the foundation for
Priest's entire concept. Face to face, in near mirror image, we see Priest's
meticulous rendering of Roy Lichtenstein's Portrait of a Woman paired
with a close-up of Vermeer's Woman with Pearl Earring. Both women seem
on the verge of breaking from their confines to speak to us. But, as with all
the other canvases, there is more to this painting than just the images. It
serves as an example of early T. Priest from the Pop/Op Art era with big Ben
Day dots; her near-obsessive interest in art history; and her concentration on
presenting the style of each artist as faithfully as possible, combining
Lichtenstein's flat, brushless swaths of color and Vermeer's paint-laden
surfaces.
While Priest is intentionally and obviously appropriating images from other
artists - her earliest inspiration, Vermeer (who had few qualms about borrowing
images from others), along with numerous contemporary influences -- she always
credits each artist in her titles, such as her piece Vermeer, Marisol &
Warhol. This canvas is composed of the young woman from Vermeer's Woman
Holding a Balance, Marisol's carved and assembled sculpture, Big
Boy, and Warhol's screen print of flowers. Others may have produced the
images, but the composition, colors, and execution are all Priest. And
surprisingly, unlike Vermeer himself, she uses neither ancient camera obscura
nor modern overhead projector to initially place her images on her canvas. She
uses instead a grid system a la Chuck Close for the general layout, and then
proceeds to draw in all the features freehand. She says that the activity of
drawing, erasing, and redrawing helps her become more familiar with her subject
and better prepares her for the actual painting process.
The most intimate and revealing of all the paintings in this exhibit is
Vermeer & O'Keeffe & Priest in which Priest re-presents
Vermeer's Girl Reading a Letter at an Open Window. In the original, the
girl's faint reflection can be seen in the inwardly open window. In this
version, Priest has opened the window further so that the girl is no longer
reflected but we can see a slightly diffused view of the artist herself in the
back of the room. Priest fantasizes that she's there, ready to respond to the
girl's reaction when she finishes reading the letter. Priest has commented that
all artists are voyeurs, watching the scene unfold around them. Here, she plays
the role of the ultimate voyeur caught in the act.
Of course, not everything in the exhibit is deep or somber in tone. Priest's
attempt to offer choices to Vermeer's women is patently obvious in her canvas
Vermeer and Thiebaud, in which Vermeer's slightly puzzled woman from
Mistress and Maid is confronted by a row of Wayne Thiebaud's gaudy
Shoes. Some choice.
The works are accomplished, imaginative, and engaging. Each of these paintings
is so saturated with historical, social, and artistic references that you
really need time to examine all the aspects of the total presentation. And,
with a little effort, you might enjoy joining in the conversation.
The University Gallery is open Wednesday from noon to 8 p.m. and
Thursday through Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. Call 508-793-7113. The
gallery will be closed from March 7 through March 13.