Charcoal is one of the most expressive materials that an artist can use. If applied directly to paper, its lines are harsh, but if blended and layered, it can create a smooth, rich texture that gives great depth to a work of art. In "Poets/Portraits," Zvi Lachman skillfully uses this versatile medium to create extraordinarily demonstrative portraits.
"Poets/Portraits" runs through Jan. 5 at the Rubin-Frankel Gallery in the Florence and Chafetz Hillel House at Boston University. The exhibit is laid out over two rooms on the second and fourth floors of the building and features one bronze sculpture and numerous portraits of influential poets. To aid the viewer, many of the portraits are accompanied by the poems that inspired their creation.
Lachman, a contemporary artist known primarily for his sculptures, was born in Israel in 1950. Although this exhibit features mostly portraits, the dramatic expression and modern spirit of his sculpture work still shine through.
On the exhibition's Web site, Lachman is quoted as saying, "With every portrait I draw, I learn how to see." His works reflect this statement not only because they show his progression as an artist, but also because he gives viewers a new, visual way to experience poetry -- as, after all, the majority of the portraits in this exhibition were directly inspired by poems.
In his portraits, which include representations of Avot Yeshurun, Yona Wallach, Primo Levi and Meir Wieseltier, Lachman brings out the personalities of the poets and sensitivity of the poetry they composed. As the exhibition's title suggests, it is a great example of how different types of art and different types of artists can influence one another across disciplinary lines. Two portraits -- both of Wallach -- are particularly effective in this regard. Displayed side by side and inspired by two different poems, they demonstrate Lachman's versatility and Wallach's intellectual range as a poet.
In the first, "Yona Wallach (Lines for my Image)" (1992), Lachman employs groups of harsh charcoal lines that converge to form a dark, deeply shadowed image of a face at the center of the page. This figure -- a pained, distant Wallach -- gradually emerges from the paper as her portrait becomes increasingly compelling.
But in another portrait of the same poet, Lachman's figure is entirely different. In "Yona Wallach (Yonatan)" (2006), Lachman forms a clearer -- yet somehow more abstract -- version of his subject.
"Poets/Portraits" aptly shows how two artistic disciplines can converge and influence one another in an extraordinary way. Through his expressive charcoal portraits, Lachman reacts to poetry in an innovative way. As a result, this exhibit, although small, is worth a visit because of the way it transforms the written word into expressive visual art.
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Poets/Portraits
At the Rubin-Frankel Gallery, through Jan. 5
Florence and Chafetz Hillel House, Boston
213 Bay State Rd
617-353-7200
