4th Biennial Nude Show: “The Enduring Figure” at Kaviar Gallery

4th Biennial Nude Show: “The Enduring Figure”
Kaviar Forge and Gallery
1718 Frankfort Ave.
Louisville, Kentucky 40206
(502) 561-0377 25
November – 4 February, 2017
Opening Reception: November 25th 6-9 PM

Renderings of the human body have been observed since prehistoric times, and it has continued to inspire artists for centuries. While the subject matter is of the traditional genres in art history, our 4th Biennial Nude Exhibition explores the theme of the nude figure through a contemporary lens. “The Enduring Figure” is a juried group show presenting artworks surrounded around this ever persistent theme. While the subject matter is the nude form, the content of the individual works go beyond skin deep to study the psyche and the human condition.

A woman emerges from the base of a tree in Fred DiGiovanni’s playful study of the body in nature, “Nude in Tree.” Several artists in the show recall the ideals and practices true to the history of the nude in art, as seen in Claudia Hammer’s skillfully rendered oil painting, “KB Reclining.” Some works explore the anxiety and vulnerability that being naked can bring, as in Anne Garavaglia’s “Shh it’s Just a Bad Dream.” Others utilize the unclothed body to express a sense of freedom, as in Aurelia Nascu’s “Relaxation.” Nascu whimsically depicts a nude woman reclining freely in a dreamy world evoking Marc Chagall sensibilities. A Cubistic reclining figure explores the geometric simplification of form in Lucretia Beatty’s “Goddess.” In Ancient Greece, the female nude was only seen in art as a modest embodiment of divinity; contemporary artists now take the next step to overtly express human sexuality, as in Brian Stastny’s “The Reading Lamp.” Since antiquity, the male nude was often relegated to assertions of strength in deities and warriors, ignoring male sexuality. Logan Brody’s expressionistic painting “Walter Reclining” offers a contemporary counter to this previous norm in a way that recalls artist, Sylvia Sleigh.

Artistic voices and media vary greatly in this show consisting of 25 artists from 8 states. The works in “The Enduring Figure” include painting, photography, charcoal, intaglio, fiber, bronze, ceramic, stone, ink, and mixed media. A stylized, elongated figure sits coyly amongst a floral backdrop in Gloria Kemper-O’Neil’s fiber art quilt, “Secret Garden.” The viewer is confronted with the sitter’s self-assured gaze in David B. Johnson’s intaglio print, “Homesteader.” A seated woman cast in bronze exemplifies strength in Kimberly Callas’ “Cave.” S. Adrienne Elder’s ink and colored pencil drawing, “Sex Changes” addresses gender identity and anatomy through the depiction of paper doll imagery. Debra Lott portrays the female body in an exaggerated pose to satirize mass media feminine ideals in her oil painting, “The Will Make You Beautiful.”

The nude figure is a timeless exemplification of universal humanity that expresses countless facets of the human experience. “The Enduring Figure” will run from November 25th – February 4th. The Opening Reception will be held at Kaviar Gallery on November 25th 6-9PM during the F.A.T Friday Trolley Hop!

Exhibiting Artists:
– Anne Garavaglia
– Aurelia Nascu
– Brian Stastny
– Charlotte Pollock
– Claudia Hammer
– David B. Johnson
– Debra Lott
– Don Burchett
– Dorothy Kavka
– Duat Vu
– Elizabeth Clare Taylor
– Fazaad Feroze
– Fred DiGiovanni
– Gloria Kemper-O’Neil
– Joseph Mays
– Kenny Smith
– Kimberly Callas
– Logan Brody
– Lucretia Beatty
– Marsha Karagheusian
– Mike McCarthy
– Potter Coe
– Roxell Karr
– S. Adrienne Elder
– Tracey Ippolito