The CHINA exhibit

I finally made it to the China exhibit and Lakefront Art Fest last weekend and was actually very impressed. Firstly, I had heard the Lakefront Art Fest was usually a let down historically. A lot of crafty, cliche art; sprawling prairies and Wisconsin north-woods, but it was actually pretty interesting. There was a great variety of work from pop-art to surrealism to more traditional landscapes. Everything from acrylics to sculpture and digital media were present and frankly, I don't remember another time I had been interested in so many different artists at one show. There are way too many artists to really critique the show, but I definitely suggest it to anyone next year.

The China exhibit was also a great look into a very specific part of chinese history. All of the pieces seemed to come from one time-period, designed and built for a specific mansion-sized retreat. From beds and stools to tapestries windows, clocks and even European art, the show encompassed a large amount of objects, painting a fairly complete picture of the palace. My favorite piece was a sixteen panel, double-sided separator which bore "caricatures" of the sixteen disciples of the Buddha. The old men were gnarled, wrinkled and deformed, thought to represent that outward appearance did not portray religious piety. The forms were almost gargoyle-like in appearance, contrasting how religious figures in western culture are depicted, and taking them off of the pedestal to a more human level. The backside of the panels bore intricate inlays of symbolic plants, a much more peaceful and relaxing scene than the opposite side.

Much like the Frank Lloyd Wright show, I felt that this was more of a historically informative show than artistic. I wasn't gazing into the pieces, trying to see what the artist was seeing or trying to say. I was reading the panels, learning the history and trying to understand the reason for the objects being how they were. It wasn't an emotional journey into Chinese culture and art, but a documentarian sort of walk through; catching little tokens of info and connecting it to my overall understanding of the chinese culture. And so, it depends what you are looking for. I hadn't read much about the show and was expecting a more artistic show, spanning the centuries and comparing modern and chinese art. While I didn't get that at all, I wasn't disappointed. There were many great pieces and a lot of great knowledge to be taken in. I might not have been inspired to go paint or work, but i did feel like I had a stronger understanding of some of the more specific practices of that time.

If you are looking to be inspired by the elegant calligraphy, beautiful watercolors and dynamic woodcuts of Chinese art history, you may be disappointed. But if a "History Museum-esque" walk through of a 17th century Chinese palace seems like something you're interested in, it's definitely worth a look.

Again, the pieces are beautifully done and presented. They all hold great value and historical significance and are a wonder to look at and investigate, they just are more in the category of "decorative arts" than what I would see as "fine art." In no way am I trying to devalue these objects or the collection, it's just the difference between a beautiful chair, and a beautiful painting. I personally get more in the painting and approach the two differently. Anyways, get there if you can...definitely worth seeing and definitely a great resource for the curious mind.

Overall Grade - B