A discussion at the Kennedy Museum of Art Thursday night encouraged art viewers to experiment with perception.
David LaPalombara, art professor and director of Ohio University's School of Art, gave an art talk titled “The Space Between” Thursday at the Kennedy Museum of Art at The Ridges. The talk centered on his artwork Red Tree, an oil portrait painted across four accordion-styled panels that is currently displayed at the museum.
LaPalombara said his artwork focuses on “creating a painted space within real space.”
His inspiration for the piece, as well as numerous past art pieces, came from artwork seen in Italy, LaPalombara said. There, he was inspired by the “visual enticement” and “perspective tricks” of areas such as Piazza San Pietro and Piazza del Popolo.
Red Tree, as well as the rest of his pieces, seeks “to engage the audience in a perceptual experiment,” LaPalombara said.
He said he does this by experimenting with 2D and 3D perspectives.
LaPalombara presented to an audience of about a dozen students and faculty members.
“You don’t see a lot of paintings that question what you’re looking at,” said Kristen Ruble, a junior studying anthropology. “I thought (his artwork) was really cool.”
After experimenting with conceptual art and sculpture installations outdoors for years, LaPalombara decided to switch to creating artwork that viewers could take with them, he said.
He now works on landscape folding screens, such as Red Tree, of pictorial landscapes inspired by New England and Italian scenery.
“I thought that he did a good job depicting the scene on the canvases for people who had not seen them,” said Mackenzie Gehrke, a freshman studying marine, freshwater and environmental biological sciences. “He made them look very realistic.”
Most of LaPalombara’s panel artwork portrays realistic nature scenes, but his next stage is “more impressionistic use of color,” he said.
“His artwork is definitely worth taking a trip to (The Kennedy Art Museum),” Gehrke said.
kb386910@ohiou.edu
