[Sidebar] The Worcester Phoenix
March 1 - 8, 2001

[Art Reviews]

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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.

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