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By Jamie Hendrix-Chupa, Exhibition Interpreter and Content Manager
SOU Theatre Class of '27
| | Julia Rommel, Iceberg, 2025, oil on linen, Courtesy of Bureau | | |
Painter Julia Rommel makes her paintings using a process of construction and deconstruction. In creating her paintings, she alters the canvas using a variety of methods, including sanding, cutting, and stapling before adding the paint. The paint is added in thick layers, then wiped or scraped away to reveal the hues beneath. Her paintings make a rough terrain, drawing the eye and leading you on a journey through the crevices, valleys, and vast expansive seas of textured canvas. This technique is reminiscent of the work of Jacqueline Humphries, whose painting Untitled (2024) is currently on view in the Entry Gallery. Despite this, Rommel consciously differentiates her art from other modernist or abstract paintings, stating that if a piece resembles others too closely, she feels compelled to change or alter it. Three of Julia Rommel’s pieces can be found in the curated show, “Angel of History”, in the Heiter and Treehaven Galleries. Apologies (2025) and Stonehenge (2024) are located in Treehaven, while the expansive Iceberg (2025) takes up almost an entire wall in Heiter. In examining the work of this artist, there are many details to explore despite its monochrome nature, which makes her work pair nicely with fellow “Angel of History” artist John Zurier. Check out Julia Rommel’s work at the Schneider Museum of Art until December 13th, and see more of her works at the link below.
https://bureau-inc.com/artists/julia-rommel/works
| | Francisco Goya, El sueño de la razón produce monstruos, 1799, aquatint | | |
Francisco Goya’s etching print series Los Caprichos was created at the very end of the 1700s as a criticism of the political, social, and religious injustices of the time period. At the time of its creation, etching and aquatint were relatively new techniques, meaning that Los Caprichos took its place in art history as an influential print series. There are 80 prints in this series in total. The title of the 43rd print, in Spanish, is El sueño de la razón produce monstruos, which can be translated as either "The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters" or "The Dream of Reason Produces Monsters," and it has been credited as both in different contexts. This piece has been described as Goya’s personal manifesto, as he depicts himself asleep with his art-making tools, surrounded by creatures of the night. The title can be interpreted as a statement on artistic process; without imagination, art is impossible. Renouncing imagination in favor of complete rationality erases the desire for creativity, which allows “monsters”, or the corrupt, to thrive. The full epigraph for The Sleep of Reason reads: "Fantasy abandoned by reason produces impossible monsters: united with her [reason], she is the mother of the arts and the origin of their marvels." Alternatively, the title may act as a reassurance of Goya’s belief in the values of the Enlightenment: without reason, evil and corruption prevail. Because of its social and political messaging, The Sleep of Reason was the main influence for Bob Thompson’s The Circus (1963), which is currently on view in Heiter Gallery as a part of the curated show “Angel of History”. When examining the shape of Thompson’s creatures, the resemblance is clear; yet Thompson removes the detail from them, which allows our imaginations to run wild. There is something almost more sinister about these forms. Rather than being as familiar as bats, cats, or birds, they are faceless and featureless. Truly, monsters that move in the dark. It can be said that Bob Thompson, as a Black man living in the segregated South, felt that there were monsters everywhere. Read more about Bob Thompson’s influences at the link below, and see The Circus on view in Heiter Gallery.
https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2022-10-12/review-bob-thompson-this-house-is-mine-hammer-museum
| | Hilma af Klint, Group IV, The Ten Largest, No. 7, Adulthood, 1907, tempera on paper mounted on canvas | | |
Abstract art is an art form that relies on the visual language of shape, form, color, and lines to depict concepts and feelings. This sets it apart from realism, naturalism, and any other art form that is meant to represent real objects, people, or landscapes. It has been criticized in the past for social associations with elitism or otherwise being difficult to understand. It is important to consider that art is all subjective, so the criticism of an art form is not entirely useful in describing its impact. Wassily Kandinsky, a Russian artist, has long been credited as the “first abstract artist”. However, that title more rightfully belongs to to Swedish artist Hilma af Klint, who began creating art years before Kandinsky. Klint was a brilliant female artist who, despite creating art in the early 1900s, only had her work shown for the first time in 1986. Her main source of inspiration was a spiritual practice that she participated in with other women called Theosophy. In examining Klint’s work within this context, it becomes clear that spiritual influence was involved in its creation. Her work is very color-focused, using swirling and bulbous shapes that evoke a sense of whimsy and intrigue. And, while examining the work of American artist Jason Stopa, elements of Klint’s style can be found. Though Stopa has not credited Klint as a direct influence, his work is definitely reminiscent of her vibrant and shape-based style. Jason Stopa’s work is currently on view in his solo show, "Modern Language", which will be on view at the Schneider until December 13th. To learn more about Hilma af Klimt and her incredible influence on what we know as abstract art, visit the link below. Information about her is also available on the websites of the MoMA, Guggenheim, and other large galleries in which she has been featured. And of course, visit the Schneider Museum of Art to experience some truly connecting abstract works.
https://www.tate.org.uk/tate-etc/issue-27-spring-2013/first-abstract-artist-and-its-not-kandinsky
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