When people think of modern art, they think of the extremes: abstract paintings and minimalism with little to relate to, save colors and shapes. The Fogg Museum of Harvard University seeks to change that impression with their show, "Nominally Figured: Recent Acquisitions in Contemporary Art."
This exhibition of modern works of varying media is tied together through the most basic artistic theme: the figure. Instead of focusing on purely artistic ideas, this collection seeks to relate to viewers by presenting them with human forms and human concepts.
One idea of the human is approached from a variety of ways in "Nominally Figured." When first entering the show, the viewer is immediately presented with a work of British artist Tony Cragg called, "Blue Indian."
This piece is a found-object collage that depicts the silhouette of a plastic cowboys-and-indians figure. A broken blue plate fills in the stomach while blue plastic lighters, cracked plastic and other "junk" fill in arms and legs. Cragg's work presents a beautiful transformation of everyday material into an ethereal piece, the disparate throwaway objects becoming part of a unified whole.
Opposite Cragg's nontraditional collage is an abstract oil painting by Paul Feeley, a smooth and flowing composition of yellow curves surrounded by a background of red. Feeley's link to the figure is clear in his choice of shape; the yellow curves form pendulous shapes that spring from the volumes and contours of the body.
Even in this abstract depiction, the idea of the human figure still remains. Feeley's painting is also one of the most traditional pieces in the show. This diversity adds much to the exhibit's comprehensive coverage of all media and overall interest. Nowhere is there a similarly conventional painting hung on the gallery wall.
The selections in "Nominally Figured" come directly from the Fogg Museum's acquired collection, and in the interests of collecting, some artists are far more heavily represented than others. This is the case with Louise Bourgeois; her sculptures factor heavily into the show's makeup, taking up the better part of one wall section and some floor space.
One of her pieces, "Untitled (hand)," comprises a grossly distorted and fattened hand alongside a similarly distorted bottle. A marble sculpture, "Nature Study," presents an interesting contrast between a roughly cut base and a delicately carved and sculpted hand grasping a human figure that emerges from the flat top. These pieces show the figure as something to be manipulated and changed, but even disembodied hands still contain an indelible link to the human form.
The second room of the show contains a staggering wall of drawings, all hung in one, large, uneven bunch. This approach to hanging encourages comparison, and the two-dimensional works here are nothing if not diverse. There is realism, abstraction, and even one piece from Ed Ruscha containing simply the word "Hotel" written in red on a blue base.
Louise Bourgeois has a piece as well, a simple portrait that became the flagship icon of the show. The only catch is that the portrait is a simplified oval face with seven pairs of eyes, ears, and a neck. Here, Bourgeois is exploring the pieces of the body and the instantly recognizable shape of the face as a kind of pictorial language, repeating that symbol of the eye in the interest of emphasizing its singular meaning.
"Nominally Figured" is, in the end, not a definitive statement about the human figure in art, but rather a presentation of the possibilities it contains. From abstract sculptures to drawings and conceptual works, it's a diverse showing. One piece everyone is sure to find favor with comes from Luis Gispert, a simple black platform that is meant for visitor interaction. Whenever a "viewer" stands on it, music plays from a stereo in the corner. It's a work that definitely doesn't take itself too seriously; people could easily dance on top for minutes at a time.
Visitors might not take as much interest in the show's work by Paul McCarthy, "Red Poster Tapes," which is a conceptual performance piece recorded by video in which he smears Vaseline on his pants with a broomstick and then moves on to smearing it on the walls. This staggeringly underwhelming piece is accompanied by a drawing of white text on a red background with phrases like, "I smear Vaseline on and in my pants with a broom handle."
Overall, "Nominally Figured" is an excellent, if not comprehensive, presentation of a traditional artistic theme that has been contextualized again and again in the modern era. Far from being aloof and arrogant, this show is about connecting to the audience through the most familiar and universal elements of art: the human figure.
