The purchasing of art work is typically considered a rare opportunity. People tend to be more intimidated than excited about the idea of owning a piece of their own. For whatever the reason, whether it is a lack of artistic knowledge or something else, there appears to be a huge hesitation to dive into the art market.

Fortunately, in 1997 Clark Whittington, a local Winston-Salem artist, revolutionized the world of art buying with the Art-o-mat. Whittington recycles old, banned cigarette machines and converts them into a type of vending machine that sells works of art. He started out by selling his black and white photographs for the incredibly low price of $1.00. The show at Penny Universitie, a local cafe, was only meant to last for a month, but owner Cynthia Giles requested the machine stay permanently. She, too, was on board with the accessibility the Art-o-mat creates for the art because anyone can put a dollar into a vending machine.

Art-o-mat is sponsored by Artists in Cellophane (AIC).  The group of local artists encourages the idea of progressive art that is both personal and approachable.  For rising artists interested in getting involved, there are guidelines on the Art-o-mat website with directions of how to get your work featured. This would be the perfect opportunity for students to get their name out into the art world. Today, these machines are located all over the world and last year dispensed 54,000 individual works. Overall, Whittington’s idea is better for the environment and allows everyone the ability to experience the special feeling of owning a work of art.

Here at Wake Forest’s ZSR library, we are lucky enough to have our very own Art-o-mat. If you ever feel the need to get a soda or a Snicker’s from the vending machine, make sure to check out the Art-o-mat and maybe purchase a painting along with your snack.  

For more information, head to http://www.artomat.org/.

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For START Gallery’s second annual STARThouse film series this Tuesday, March 26, the Gallery asked Professor Harry B. Titus, an art history professor at Wake Forest, to choose the film.  His choice: Der Lauf der Dinge (or The Way Things Go), a 1987 Swiss film by Peter Pischli and David Weiss.  He explains the reasons behind the choice for this film while also sharing his opinion on Wake Forest and what his experiences here have been like. Professor Titus gives some insight into his unique background before his time spent at Wake Forest and what he plans to do after his retirement from the University this spring.

Why did you choose this film for the film series?

Because it is kinetic. It is a documentation of something that was set up that is a kinetic work of art. Its fundamental nature is industrial; it doesn’t use artsy kind of materials. Originally we thought we were going to do “Blow Up,” the movie by [Michelangelo] Antonioni, but it is so long. “Blow Up” was made around the same time. It has a nut of narrative in the center of it and then it’s filled with vignettes on either side of it. “Der Lauf der Dinge” is more neutral in that way, it is about the physical world, it’s about kinetic relationships and so forth. EAT, Experiments in Arts and Technology, was founded in 1966 by an engineer from Bell Labs in New Jersey. It was a part of a sixties thing of collaboration among people to try to create things that expanded the breadth of what could be thought of and what could be made. So, Der Lauf der Dinge comes in 1981 and it is at the end of that movement, which went from the 60s through the mid-80s, and like many things, it probably became more or less accepted and didn’t need its own advocacy in quite the same way anymore.

We hear that you joined the military. How did that come about?

I didn’t want to go to college. I didn’t have the faintest idea about what I was interested in or what I was going to do. Going to college then was not like it is now. I graduated from high school in Wisconsin and, with two exceptions in my graduating senior class, anybody who went to college went to the University of Wisconsin or one of its state affiliates. Because I had no idea, I went into the Air Force. That was in 1961.

We also hear that you used to run an underground newspaper when you were in college?

There was a big initial effort to make things in art that were kinetic right at the time when I was in college and when I was active with Kaleidoscope, which was not a college paper, I suppose today it has evolved into what you might call a community paper, but it was a counterculture community effort. At that time, I was a student, I worked in a factory and I worked for Kaleidoscope.

Moving forward, do you have any plans for your retirement, any grand ideas?

I would say that I don’t have grand ideas. Part of what I realize I desire is to make a complete change and just do something else. I am thinking of things that are outside the academic and art historical world, that maybe at one point in my life I thought I might want to do but put on the back burner. Just like people who are graduating and don’t know what they’re going to do, come September, I am in the same position, I don’t know what I’m going to do, especially since I am moving at the same time.

What has been one of your favorite aspects of Wake Forest?

I went to a big state school and when I was looking for a job I was looking for a kind of college that was much smaller where I would actually know people and where I wouldn’t have teaching assistants between me and the students. I think that Wake Forest offered that. When I go outside and I see people at conferences, what I always emphasize to them is that, in our department, most of us know one another and we can have some interchanges that are a little bit more sustained.

Be sure to stop by Scales Tuesday night to hear more from Professor Titus and watch “Der Lauf der Dinge.”  

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For all those student artists who are juniors or seniors looking for advice and thinking about the next step after graduation on how to become an artist, two Wake Forest alumni Thaddeus Stephens and Katie Shuford returned to Wake in February offering advice. Both Katie and Thaddeus are living, working and making art in New York City. New York can seem terrifying to a young artist, but as Katie put it, getting to New York and finding a job is the first hurdle: “We both had to make money before we went to New York. I was living at home in Atlanta, saving money applying to hundreds of jobs, but I finally realized I would have to do an unpaid internship and meet people in order to get anywhere in New York. The money I saved up covered those first couple of months in New York while I worked in an unpaid internship. However, it was through that internship that I was able to make connections and learn. I think working for free is something that is kind of unique to our age group that our parents didn’t have to do. So many internships are unpaid and there are fewer intro-level jobs today and internships are the only way you can get your foot in the door. You have to ask yourself three questions in your internship: “Are you getting something out of the internship daily, are you making connections, and can they pay you? After a few months in the internship and they still can’t pay you it is time to look elsewhere”. 

Thaddeus spoke about the process of making art, “having the confidence and belief that the end result will be something of value is a virtue young artists need to learn, even if this means reworking, adding, or changing the initial idea”. He continued to explain that it is not solely about the profits of making art for him, “up in New York it is a lot more like every man for himself, because people move there a lot to get their art in galleries. I was so surprised because I rarely talked about ideas or my work. But that underlined drive of why they make art is lost once they get up to New York, because they focus on just making art for the sake of making a profit”. 

 Katie warns us of the importance of making art with passion rather than the sole motive to make money. Thaddeus reminds us not to merely set aside art until they have a revelation, but to continually be making art, “You need to be patient but you also need to keep in mind that you do need to be proactive, because if you wait too long you won’t make anything.” Small projects done frequently keep an artist in a creative mindset and also gives them tangible accomplishments that can be used to make a living.

Sometimes experiences are fulfilling not through just the accomplishments, but the people that accompany you through them. Thaddeus believes in a strong sense of community, especially in the profession of art, “I think the point I was trying to make is that we found a community to share and expand out idea with, but not through an organization or extracurricular activities, but just through friends who were all thinking about art all the time anyways so we were always doing art.” Katie describes some of the functions that they set up as an art community at Wake Forest. Each week a different student would sign up to prepare a conversation starter, it was really informal but it was really great.” These types of gatherings among like-minded friends can often have an immediate impact on a person and the key is experiencing, learning, and doing.

To some of you New York might seem intimidating and to others it may seem like the perfect challenge. Whether it is New York, Dallas, or San Francisco remember Katie’s three pointers: ask yourself if you are getting anything out of the internship that you find yourself doing, are you making connections that can help you in the future, and can they pay you after a certain amount of experience. Remember that Thaddeus’ took almost two years after graduating from Wake Forest to understand and decide that he wanted to test the waters in New York City. Thaddeus knows that an artist will not be successful if they sit around and wait for success, they need to put themselves out there and overcome failures, scrape by, and then they will have a chance at being a professional artist. There is no immediate transition into the work force that will be successful; being an artist takes time to establish yourself in your environment, being comfortable to produce art, and having the creative drive to help you continue being productive in the art. 

Meet David Lavis, a Senior Studio Art and Psychology major at Wake Forest.  While he may not have anticipated majoring in Studio Art, originally planning a minor in neuroscience, David has a wide knowledge and background in art.  Read on to hear his thoughts on vandalism, “traditional” art, and the Rascal Flatts.  

Abstract Lunar Fish, Oil on Canvas

What is your medium of choice?

Oil would definitely be my favorite. I used to work in pencil and oil pastel.

How long have you been working in these media?
Since middle school. I used to work in acrylic too. But that shit dries fast and oil lasts longer as I learned in my painting classes here.

Did you have to study color theory in your painting class?
There was minimal theory, we touched on it—there was more practical knowledge.

Do you have a favorite artist?
I hate this question [laughs]. Somebody I’ve really been getting into lately—have you ever heard of El Mac? He’s a street artist but he’s started moving into galleries. He does these really cool portraits of women, they’re like graphic illustrations. He breaks down the light structure, kind of like color by numbers type of thing. It’s a higher grade on that. You should check it out!

Coming from a traditional artistic background, do you respect his work the same way you would respect an artist who works in a more traditional medium?
Yes, because I was really into graffiti in high school, which is really why I love his work.

Have you ever vandalized anything?
Is this off the record? [laughs] I’ve dabbled! I really like the whole culture of it—I like his ingenuity. In terms of masterful construction though—I have to give it to my boy Michelangelo. And da Vinci. I studied the Renaissance in Florence, Italy and I totally fell for that stuff.

Would you consider Michelangelo and Da Vinci your inspirations?
Yes, Michelangelo’s Pietas, Bernini’s sculpture, Raphael, and da Vinci—they’re all master drawers. They never mess up—it’s ridiculous! I totally respect their mastery.

Are you nervous about presenting traditional work since our artistic generation seems to be deviating from such work?
I’m not nervous, because the market seems to be weird, but in the academic sphere people appreciate it. People who study the classical style will appreciate it. Plus, I like it—so I don’t care what anyone else thinks.

Good. So what is the craziest project that you could envision? Something that you’ve been wanting to work on?
I don’t do a lot of sculpture, but a while back I wanted to do a giant—Claes Oldenburg-type sculpture. Like a metallic work. I’ve also wanted to do a giant wall painting.

Mural or no?
No, on canvas. I like murals’ social function, but I’ve been reading some theory by Michelangelo and he notes that when we create something it comes from a divine place. So we should make something and it should last.

Still Life, Charcoal and Chalk on Colored Paper 

Very cool. Do you have plans after Wake? Are you going to follow an artist’s career or do something with Psychology?
I kind of want to combine the two, so yeah, I was thinking use the psychology for marketing and people skills—my dream job would be to work for a magazine, or some company that funds young artists—helping them get into the gallery scene. I don’t think I have the natural borne talent to make it in the art world, but I’d want to help others.

What are you working on now?
I’m working on a series of three, kind of like muses, cause it’s going to go in my bedroom as my muses, using an atmosphere kind of thing. I got the idea from Klimt—his School of Medicine mural—the woman with the golden snakes, a classical figure, a naked woman floating with a spiral of twisted bodies—it’s a very cool painting!

Anything else you want people to know about you? A weird fact?
[Laughs] I’m horrible at these questions—well I’m not as arrogant as this interview makes me sound.

I know you’re not.
Well, I like country music?

I wouldn’t expect that from you. Like mainstream?
I could definitely go for some Rascal Flatts every now and then!

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White plaster warped clocks and rows of twisted oil painted eyes line the blank walls.  At the large desk in the front of the room sits Adelaide Knott, feeding into the creative vibe in bright chartreuse pants and a billowing cream blouse.  A Wake Forest alumna (’12) and Studio Art major, Adelaide is the newest Manager of the University’s beloved START Gallery, located in Reynolda Village.

The Gallery, founded in 2009, “is an area to showcase what those involved in the art department produce and to highlight the caliber of artistic talent of students at Wake,” said Adelaide.  Featuring alumni shows as well as class and solo student exhibitions, the START Gallery is the only year-round venue for viewing and purchasing student visual artworks in the greater Winston-Salem area, according to the Gallery’s website.  

In addition, the Gallery provides Wake Forest students with the opportunity to participate in the STARTyourself program.  This innovative program revolves around the ideology that making art is what is most important in the life of an artist—no matter the age or major of the student, the theme expressed in the exhibition, or the artistic medium used to create the pieces.  

“This program,” explained Adelaide, “is very significant.”  She laughed thinking of the best way to explain its influence in the Wake Forest community. “It functions—uhh—yes, as a mini trial and error, of sorts, for students who are seriously considering a career in the art world…it’s a simulated gallery experience.”

From picking out the food being served at the exhibition to the actual physical installation of the art, students experience the realistic expectations of having a solo exhibition within the art industry.

Ashley Birkedal, a Senior Art History major, reflected on her art being showcased in last week’s exhibition, The Art of Bookmaking.  ”It’s a really good opportunity.  You get to see all the aspects of how a show is put together in the real world,” adding “This was my first time having more than two pieces featured at a time…I even sold my first piece of art.”

The Gallery provides students with a unique educational experience that might not otherwise have been offered during their time at Wake Forest. 

The most recent STARTyourself artist, Jon Rowe, described the significance of being asked to create his solo exhibition, My Bogeyman Life, by saying, “I would say I’m most excited to see it all set up.  I can visualize it in my mind, but it is different than literally seeing it all side by side.” 

While artists can usually only imagine the influence of their art on the community, the STARTyourself program, as well as the START Gallery, provides an outlet for their talent and journey towards artistic discovery.

“My work,” Rowe continued, “is a direct reflection of the self and the journey of accomplishing a body of work.”   

Visit START and check out the current exhibition, From Self to Other II, up until March 30.  For more information head to http://wfustartgallery.com/.  

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Check out an interview with Emma Hunsinger, a Senior at Wake Forest who designed our logo.  

What is your Major/Minor?

I’m double majoring in Communications and Studio Art and I have enough minors to get an Art History minor but not total hours—Hey Mo! We’re doing an interview! Will you still be here in ten minutes?—

Okay what’s your medium of choice?

My medium choice is really simple—it’s usually just Sharpie on white plain paper. Cheap paper.

Do you have a favorite artist?

Shoot, um, what’s his name—Egon Schiele is my favorite artist.

Why?

I love how he distorts the body and sparsely uses color. But I do not emulate Egon Schiele

Do you have any other sources of inspiration for your Sharpie on paper works or your crazy figures?

Nothing really informs it but I can explain it. I tend to think of myself as a silly person; there are people who are really serious and people who are analytical and I think of myself as just something—I don’t want to say absurd, that sounds like I’m painting myself and I want to be this wild thinker! But, silly is the perfect word for it—it’s just very basic and nonsensical. Nothing grand or genius. Sharpie on paper evokes cartoonish things and that’s what cartoonish things are.

Okay, so like you just said, you’re a silly person and I know you’re in the Lilting Banshees, how does your interest in comedy directly influence your work? Does it affect the content?

I think comedy is a great communicator, it can reveal a lot. It’s a lighthearted way to bring up difficult issues. Sometimes you can use humor in a great manner—we just looked at Kara Walker’s piece in class and she used humor in a very dark way and it was very powerful. We get in trouble all the time for Banshees with the posters that we put out because people read into it and get upset—but that’s what art is supposed to do, it’s supposed to make you think. Humor and art pack a punch.

Did you mean to stir people up with your most recent posters in START?

Yeah, I did those in junior year figure drawing class, Spring 2012. I think a lot about counterculture—I think a lot about society and about how it progresses and how we can totally dismantle that. What if somebody were to push the whole ideal—to push absurdist propaganda? To encourage suicide, to give up hope, to do the arbitrary—nobody would ever do that! Everyone has specific aspirations.

Were you thinking of Wake Forest in particular, the fact that we’re in this bubble?

The environment definitely influenced the posters—one of the signs said, “Don’t be sorry”—and where that comes from, from say, you’re sitting in class and you take someone’s chair and they get up to get a drink of water and you sit down and they come back and say, “ I’m really sorry but you took my seat”—you shouldn’t apologize for someone wronging you! We do these things that we don’t realize—they don’t make sense.

Tell me about your doodles in class.

I have self-diagnosed myself with severe ADD, I tell people it’s terminal ADD—like it’s going to kill me. I constantly doodle. It’s not sidetracked though—it goes along with everything. In class, I doodle about what we talk about. Oh, this one is Fred Wilson—pictures of slaves, mutilated bodies…it comes from our conversations…

So it’s a pictorial note-taking process?

Yeah, this one’s from today, we were talking about Stan Douglas and colonization.

Awesome. So what plans do you have after Wake?

Of course I have lofty plans. I mean, how cool would it be to become an artist? But there are much more tangible goals. I think it’d be really cool to work in a museum, to do some art education. But I know the art world is really fickle—but you can work it to your advantage. Andy Warhol worked in an advertising firm and he was a clever guy. Art can manifest itself in the consumer culture and I would not mind exploiting it for those reasons. I don’t know what I’ll do after school really specifically. But I’m not worried about it. I’d be okay working in retail or in a restaurant until I get on my feet. Art is a marketable skill and I plan on selling it as hard as I can.

What’s one of your main goals for your art?

If I had funding, I’d think more about temporality and how we make ourselves last here. Everyone has these themes in their life that they’re obsessed with and mine’s been immortality. It’s aggravating—no one can live forever. But should we try to perpetuate ourselves after our death? I want to create work that points that out and perhaps make myself last forever.

That’s cool—so what are you working on right now?

I’ve been thinking about a series of self-portraits in really grand, victorious compositions and playing upon antique and renaissance art to look at how they depict people who wanted to be gods. Of course the work has to be big. I love doing big work. There’s a whole mechanical process that feels disingenuous with projecting, but I need assistance with that. I usually do everything by hand. I love portraiture.

So people know you as being pretty weird, in the best way possible, so what’s the weirdest thing about you?

The weirdest thing? Oh my God that’s such a loaded question! How would I answer that?

Weird fact? Story? Thing you can do with your body?

I never sleep under sheets. I sleep on top of all of my bedding.

That’s so weird.

Wait, don’t put that. Sometimes, when there’s a lull in conversation, I beep.

You beep?

I beep. 

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After almost three weeks of prep and installation, SECCA has a brand new exhibition in the Porter Gallery.  Afterlife: by Jacco Olivier and Jennifer West is a film and video installation which focuses on the process of the painter and their unfinished canvas. Both of these artists let you swim in this fantasy world of moving paint; one like a tranquil and flowing river and the other like you’re plummeting down the rapids inevitably towards the falls. 

Jacco Olivier, from Amsterdam, has created soft and gentle video projections depicting the movement of many layers of paint. As you stand engulfed by these large-scale films, it feels as though you are smoothly drifting through layer after layer of wet paint on a canvas. Olivier provides the opportunity to contemplate the emotions within each brush stroke and drip of paint. The non-painter can clearly see each step a painter might take, and how much of an impact each of those decisions makes within the “big picture.” Olivier liberates painting by allowing the medium itself remain in constant movement and with limitless possibility. 

Jennifer West, from Los Angeles, contrasts Olivier’s work perfectly because of her static and chaotic transitions. While Olivier creates peace and the opportunity for contemplation, West produces violent shifts and overwhelming speed. Each frame, usually depicting film which has been manipulated with chemicals or everyday substances, is independently lovely and nonthreatening. However, West pulls the audience into her films with rapid and staccato transitions from one abstract image to another. Considering both of the artists exhibited in Afterlife:, viewers are implored to consider the materials the artists used, but Olivier and West’s work are remarkably different. 

Afterlife: by Jacco Olivier & Jennifer West will be on exhibit at SECCA through May of 2013. 

secca.org/exhibition/afterlife-jacco-olivier-jennifer-west/

Last week, James Martin, an art detective, gave his audience at WFU ten tips for art authentication, which he had previously presented to the College Art Association. Take a look at his wisdom below:

1. Time and Independence - Give the scientist time and independence. Be fair to yourself and the hired professional; do not constrain their time on the project or their writing about it.

2. Anonymous Sources - If the source of the artwork is not disclosed then scientists will often refuse the investigation. Martin gave an example in which he pressed for the name of the anonymous source and when he finally received the name, he found that this source was a highly dangerous person. He immediately called back and denied the offer. Evidently, this business can be risky!

3. Restricted Access - If an owner claims that they have a large collection but will only allow you to view a select few pieces, do not consult their work. Very often, these con artists will “salt” their collections with a few genuine works while the others are copies.

4. Chain of custody - Martin said that occasionally, forgers attempt to use his lab to determine the quality of the fake. In these cases the owners want full disclosure of what he found, but he delivers a terse report. He will announce which is fake, but does not reveal details.

5. Standard contract - This is essentially a covenant not to sue the scientist and ensures that he will be indemnified in lawsuits regarding the examination of authenticity.

6. Testable Claims  - Document everything that is told to you about the piece because most likely it is testable through provenance or science. This will help you detect stories that suspiciously change overtime. 

7. Evolving Provenance - Occasionally, the owner of the artwork will alter their faulty information to match the findings of the scientist.  Be aware of changing stories that attempt to explain a given result. 

8. High Risk Works - Be wary of high risk works, especially Russian avant-garde pieces. These can be especially dangerous. (Martin admits that he has been threatened by swindlers in the fraudulent art business!)

9. Expertise and Methods - Be aware of novel methods and techniques like fingerprinting. Martin stresses the importance of “using the right tool for the right job” and avoiding using methods that are not admissible in court of law.

10. Advice or Advocacy? - Determine whether you are an adviser or advocate. Unlike an attorney, in Martin’s profession, it is essential that he does not advocate for any piece.  He is a scientist first.  

On February 11^th, James Martin of Orion Analytical, LLC, gave a fascinating talk at Wake Forest entitled, Forensic Art History: Distinguishing Masterpieces from Fakes. The lecture hall in Scales Fine Arts Center was full of students and faculty eager to hear about this unique topic from such an esteemed professional. Martin began his lecture explaining how scholarly authenticity is a “three-legged stool.” The first component of authenticating an artwork is connoisseurship which consists of the appearance, iconography and how well the piece fits in with the rest of the works. Next is provenance, or in other words, the history, bills of sale, tax records, and any other documents that prove the legitimacy of the work. Finally, testing is done using scientific analysis, and technical examination.

Martin then outlined some problems that often arise in his business of determining fakes from the real artwork. Primarily, optimistic attributions can lead people to believe their piece of art is genuine. He gave an example of someone uncovering a paint-splattered canvas in his or her attic and confidently assuming it must be a Jackson Pollack, without any knowledge of the truth. Other common issues are intentional misattributions, fakes and forgeries. For instance, fabricated documents, like false exhibition catalogs, are sometimes created, placed in a library, and intended to misinform people that the fake piece was indeed part of a famous artist’s collection. This may seem unlikely, or even impossible, but it actually occurred in 1995 involving fraudsters John Myatt and John Drew.

Towards the end of the speech, Martin captivated the audience with stories regarding infamous fraudulent criminals. These case studies included Ken Perenyi a forger who successfully sold his works at Christie’s and Sotheby’s and Eli Sakhai whose crimes went undetected until these rivaling auction houses tried to sell two exactly identical pieces in the same week – one being Sakahi’s meticulous copy. Martin’s other anecdote included Wolfgang Beltracchi who perpetuated fraud of false provenance to an extreme. He photographed his wife posing as a fictitious grandmother named Josefine Jaegers, with Beltracchi’s fake paintings in the background. With this antique-looking photograph circa the 1920s, the major works looked to be inherited, adding legitimacy to the paintings. Martin explained that Beltracchi truly believed he was producing paintings that the artists would have created if they were still alive. Another case involved William Toye, who copied Clementine Hunter’s paintings. Examiners had previously noted numerous images of cats in Toye’s studio so when Martin scanned the artwork he discovered cat hair embedded in the fakes. In addition, the base drawings under the paint of Toye’s fakes did not match those of the genuine pieces. It is unbelievable how some forgeries can appear identical to the original pieces. However, with Martin’s various methods of testing he can intelligently identify what is, and isn’t, authentic.

Before a Q&A session, Martin left the audience with ten tips for art authentication. These useful pieces of advice will be revealed in a follow-up post, so keep an eye out for this next week! The concept of determining fake artwork from the genuine pieces gave insight into the field of forensic art history, which many people are unfamiliar with. James Martin’s lecture was focused on an unusual topic, yet it was remarkably interesting and his audience was unanimously enthralled.

I am currently in the middle stretch of a semester in Barcelona, Spain. In a weekend vacation to Madrid, I was able to immerse myself in the history of Spanish art and royalty with visits to the Reina Sofia, Palacio Real, and the Prado. I stood in front of Velasquez’s Las Meninas, gazed at the ceiling and golden walls of the Throne Room, and was overwhelmed by Picasso’s Guernica.

Guernica is the highlighted painting at the Prado and has a room all to itself. It was painted for the Northern Spanish village of Guernica which was destroyed by German bombers in 1937 as one of the first acts of technological warfare in the Spanish Civil War and WWII. I have seen countless paintings projected on a wall in Art History classes and been told they are not the same in real life, but the act of standing in front of this monumental, historically significant, and emotionally loaded painting is an experience I will never forget.

I went to the museum with a friend from high school living in Madrid who shares an appreciation for war and post-war eras with me. We were anticipating seeing the painting all day and stumbled upon the room after viewing our subconscious broadcast on the walls of the eerie Spanish Surrealist room. We pushed through the crowd and were immediately overwhelmed. The twenty minutes we spent staring felt like two as new details of the image would appear, like the horseshoe in the bottom middle and the jagged black scribbles in the hand of the dying soldier/statue in the bottom left. The heads of the figures are bigger than mine and the simple lines in their tortured faces somehow capture the emotional and physical suffering of thousands of innocent Spaniards. As we stood, our pupils bouncing around the 26-foot-long frame, we both tore them from the painting to notice the tears welling up in each others’ wide-open eyes. To me, the event is a historical tragedy and yet the jagged shading, fractured body parts, and starkly contrasted blacks and whites made me feel for the distant victims.

I have seen a few historically significant paintings in my travels, from van Gogh’s Starry Night to Turner’s Slavers Throwing Overboard the Dead and Dying, but never have I seen one so emotionally loaded. It was as if the horrors of the war to come are trapped in the immense canvas. I also saw how important it is to see these works on a wall if possible because it changes the way we experience them. I had studied the image multiple times before, but the classroom takes us away from the overwhelming power of the image itself.

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