
I AM CURIOUS (BLUE)
I AM CURIOUS (BLUE)
JUNE 22 - JULY 26, 2023
“As the upper sky and mountains appear blue, so a blue surface seems to recede from us ... it draws us after it.”
The color blue brings with it an array of emotions and interpretations. Blue evokes a feeling of calm or serenity, as well as the depths of the unconscious mind and imagination. Blue is the essence of natural elements like water and sky, and the vast expanse of the universe -- conveying the hidden depths of our nature. Blue is also darkness made visible, described by Carl Jung as representing the shadow self, or our own “collection of repressed aspects of our identity...recognizing the dark aspects of the personality as present and real.” The use of blue to convey spirituality and religious meaning has been present throughout art history -- from the depiction of the robes of the Virgin Mary in Renaissance paintings to Yves Klein’s use of monochromatic blue as representative of life and immortality.
In this online exhibition titled I Am Curious (Blue), taken from Swedish director Vilgot Sjöman's film compendium I Am Curious (Yellow), a selection of twenty international artists use blue in their work to touch on a range of emotions and ideas. Blue is recognized by these artists as representing a deeper level of existence. From the melancholy of Aris Moore’s imaginary creatures executed in the simple medium of ballpoint pen (a tool chosen by a number of artists in this show), to New York based artist Cody Tumblin’s celestial bursts executed in canvas collage on dyed linen, these artists use the depth of blue. As written by Italian artist Leon Alberti in his seminal treatise De Picture (On Painting), "blue, is the color of the element of air" and like air, its depth is "a quality of mind...an invisible power that permeates all things...".
Peter Graham
Spore, 2022
oil on linen
40 1/4 x 43 1/4 in
102 x 110 cm
Pio Sebastian Ziltz
Pferd aus Glas vor zerbrechlicher Frühlingslandschaft (Glass Horse in Front of a Fragile Spring Landscape), 2023
pen on paper
8 1/4 x 11 3/4 in
21 x 29.7 cm
Sebastián Hidalgo
Water Mountain, 2023
oil on canvas
9 1/2 x 12 in
24 x 30.5 cm
Susan Carr
Hermes and the river styx, 2023
enamel on bristol paper
14 x 17 in
35.6 x 43.2 cm
Nancy Diamond
Untitled, 2021
watercolor on paper
12 x 16 in
30.5 x 40.6 cm
Aris Moore
Settle, 2023
pencil and ballpoint pen on Moleskine paper
7 1/2 x 7 1/2 in
19 x 19 cm
Jackson Bryant
Double Fencing Theory, 2022
pen plotter on paper
17 x 17 in
43.2 x 43.2 cm
Mike Ousley
Backwoods Cult, 2023
oil on panel
20 x 24 in
50.8 x 61 cm
Paqaru
Las hermanas, 2017
pencil on paper
8 1/4 x 11 3/4 in
21 x 29.7 cm
Kevin Lucbert
A soul's journey, 2022
ballpoint pen on paper
11 3/4 x 8 1/4 in
29.7 x 21 cm
Kathryn Lynch
Sundip, 2023
oil on linen
53 x 48 in
134.5 x 122 cm
Lori Taschler
Oracle, 2006
pastel on paper
12 x 16 in
30.5 x 40.6 cm
Isabel Cavenecia
Mazunte Manta, 2022
colored pencil on paper
10 x 9 in
25.4 x 23 cm
David Moreno
Untitled, 2021
oil on paper
7 x 5 in
17.8 x 12.7 cm
Cody Tumblin
Everybody's Blues, 2022-23
oil on dyed linen and canvas collage; artist-made painted poplar frame
9 x 12 in
22.9 x 30.5 cm
Ethan Stuart
Clock Hole, 2019
acrylic, cut paper, ballpoint pen, colored pencil, crayon, and graphite on paper
11 1/2 x 8 3/4 in
28.9 x 21.9 cm
Friedrich Franke
Untitled, 2014
oil on canvas
15 3/4 x 11 3/4 in
40 x 30 cm
Guy Rubicon
Blue night, 2023
oil on linen
23 1/2 x 19 3/4 in
60 x 50 cm
Katy Horan
Glitter Ghost, 2023
gouache, flashe and glitter on paper
24 x 18 in
61 x 45.7 cm