Yancey Richardson Gallery
Sharon Core: Facsimile
The Show “Facsimile” by Sharon Core in the Yancey Richardson Gallery depicts a variety of painted reproductions of Irving Penn’s 1920 book of photographic still-lifes titled “Flowers”. The work being painted version of the photographs lends to a handcrafted realism.
These large-scale paintings hold a natural warmth in their use of pinks, reds, and yellows. They capture the movement of followers blooming. Staging the level of maturity gains a wider understanding of the life of the flowers. Some petals are wide open, well the others are sealed tight. One seems to be hanging on to its last bit of life. The viewer gets a sense of these flowers' journey through spring.
The diversity in both plant species, colors, and layouts of the paintings adds an interesting nuance to the work. For the work being a replication of others from a book, the assumption would be that all pages would be the same in layout, but Core deviates from this. She uses both he landscape and the portrait as well as some smaller and larger images that are the size of the book. This change of layout from wall to book allowed for the art to be viewed as singular pieces as well as in contexts of the whole body of work.
The flowers hold a handcrafted quality, being almost tactile in nature. The paintings feel like old field journal illustrations in a scientific journal. This is further displayed through her copying of the text from the original book. The lettering is highly crafted with a painterly touch. The mix of handcrafted and realism shows Core’s roots as both a painter and a photographer.
HAD-472-02
Sonja Stein
This review offers a clear and thoughtful interpretation of Sharon Core’s Facsimile. I appreciate the attention given to both formal qualities, such as the warm palette and varied layouts, and the conceptual framing of the work as a tactile reinterpretation of Penn’s photographs. The observation about the different stages of bloom was especially evocative and added depth to the reading of temporality within the series. I also found the comparison to field journal illustrations insightful. One area that could be strengthened is the discussion of layout, elaborating on how Core’s spatial choices shape the viewer’s engagement would further enrich the review.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy this reviews insights on the decisions made to include a variety of orientations, Aswell as to display a deeper understanding of the flower's life cycle and journey as they bloom and wither. Perhaps something else to consider is the blank white backgrounds giving each piece a look resembling that of a diagram found in a scientific textbook, which you do brush up on in the final paragraph. Distancing the flower from its natural environment and giving it a colder feel. Do you agree or disagree with this assessment perhaps for some the distancing and close up nature of the images gives the viewer a chance for a more intimate connection with each flower.
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