Last night I visited the 2007 Senior B.F.A. Exhibition at The Art Gallery at UNH. Each student displayed a cohesive body of work, strong in form and rendered with skill. I particularly enjoyed the paintings of Ryan Murphy, for they were also genuine and strong in content - a balance of fantasy and reality; humor and sadness; mystery and certainty. Ryan's 'Trash Day' is pictured here.
After the reception we met with the students to talk about life in the artworld after graduation. I look forward to seeing what they paint as they evolve outside of an academic environment.
I recommend reading The Shape of Content by Ben Shahn. It is written with soul and intelligence, Shahn discusses the important balance of form and content. He also establishes 'how' and 'why' one becomes an artist.
