Crocker Art Museum

After attending U-NITE and only having the chance to see the student work in the courtyard, and the faculty show nearby, I had to make time to come back and see some of the current collection.

One of the first works I encountered was this massive painting by Stephen J Kaltenbach. Sitting at an estimated 8 feet tall and 15 feet wide, this work was very intimidating. I stared at it from half a room away trying to take the whole thing in, but it truly was immense. The plaque beside the piece gave a short history of this work, stating that it was a seven year long labor of "life, love, and loss". It is based on a photograph, though it is still very different and unique from the cool and detached paintings of the photorealists. This work is done as a memorial, celebrating the life and passage of a loved one. Kaltenbach typically worked as a conceptual artist in the 1970s; this enormous work marked his return to painting.

Stephen J Kaltenbach
Portrait of My Father
1972-79
Acrylic on canvas

Detail of Portrait of My Father

Paul Jenkins
Phenomena Intervening Mantle
2006
Acrylic on Canvas 

Paul Jenkins' approach to applying pigment tends to me unorthodox, reads the plaque beside this work. He pours and pushes the pain, resulting on veins of translucent and opaque colors. They are exercises in continued interesting in philosophy, the writings of Carl Jung, and exploring the inner recesses of the artist's unconscious mind.  

Detail of Phenomena Intervening Mantle

Kim Squaglia
Aquanaut
2012
Oil and resin on wood panel

Detail of Aquanaut

Hung Liu
Shoemakers
1999
Oil on canvas

After learning about the artist in class, and seeing her work, it was really exciting to accidentally stumble across this work in my explorations. The drips and the thin washes in the layers of her work are wonderful, and give a subtle sense of nostalgia. 

Checking out the abstract expressionism paintings

 The abstract expressionist Sam Francis has a large show at the Crocker, full of works from his five decades worth of painting. Francis was one of the twentieth century's most influential abstract expressionist painters, and created art that was most intuitive and cerebral. Using a variety of light and color, his works have a wide range of interpretations while also referencing traditional and historical paintings. Inspired by the French Impressionists, the California Modernists, as well as ancient and contemporary Chinese and Japanese scroll and sumi-e ink paintings, he became known as one of the first post-WWII painters to develop an international reputation.  Francis' use of color and light is truly astonishing. From a simple paint blot on a white field, to the layering of beautifully contrasting colors, I was completely in awe of his work. The detail shot below is one I spent several minutes taking in.

Untitled (Edge Painting)
1966
Oil on canvas