Burchfield Penney Art Center

   During my recent visit to the Burchfield Penney Art Center, I was super excited of seeing Philip Burke's exhibition. The theme of his exhibit was called "The Likeness of Being" was based on a play on Milan Kundera’s novel The Unbearable Lightness of Being. According to the artist, it is about the deeper aspect or the spiritual aspect of what he was trying to do.

     As you was around the East Gallery of the center, you noticed the edgy, white walls where the artworks were mounted about 6-8 inches apart in a perfect alignment. The hardwood flooring gave warmth to the bright, white room, and the edgy walls popped out making you turn at every corner to find more brilliant works. There was a specific part where the room became circular and gave space to the environment. All of the works were on canvas, and they were labeled with his signature and date of creation.

     For the most part, each work was similar in the aspect of how it was presented, and the media used. His use of caricature and abstract expression was exhibited through every portrait. However, each one illustrated a different person in our pop culture and how their personalities are shown through their physical features. Here are my top three favorites by Philip Burke:

Philip Burke. Joey Ramone; oil on canvas, 36 x 48 inches

I love the Ramones, so this was definitely a bias critic. First of all, the lines and colors totally capture Joey's punk rock edgy personality and high spirit. The shapes of his eyes, nose, and lips are completely non-realistic and exaggerated.

 Philip Burke, Neil Young; oil on canvas, 48 x 60 inches

Neil Young was an interesting celebrity to capture; his rough and aged face his definitely portrayed in this painting. The timeless musical legend holding his guitar in all these vibrant colors shows the power of his music.

Philip Burke. George W. Bush; oil on canvas, 36x36 inches

First of all, the fact that Burke painted Bush with his mouth open is enough of an analysis of Bush's personality. The red background symbolizing the urgency or power Bush portrayed is enough to know he is interpreting all of his political aspects through physical queues. Making the head bigger than the usual proportions definitely symbolizes the high-power of his political term. 

     In this project, the biggest part about it was analyzing the environment rather than the artwork itself. It was definitely an unusual experience in the sense that I don't normally walk into an art gallery to check out the architecture and schematics of the room while there is a ton of beautiful works of art surrounding me. It defeats the purpose of appreciating the artists' works when you're admiring the hardwood floors or light fixtures on the ceiling. Sure the environment plays a role on how you perceive the artwork; however, in my opinion, it's not something I detail on a regular basis.