Stigliani, who lives
in Wisconsin, earlier appeared in Milwaukee at the Portrait
Society Gallery with small pen and ink drawings revealing fairy-tale landscapes
and/or interiors. This subject material still inhabits the majority of
Stigliani’s artwork, perhaps in tribute to a childhood spent amid the castles
and fables of Austria.
By displaying an
added depth to her artistic style, Stigliani carries these themes further,
composing richer paintings and drawings applied to found or vintage paper, such
as a bookplate from the 19th century. One of her paintings introduces the
exhibition in an image titled Rapunzel.Within the picture frame a willowy
young woman lounges on a Rococo pink settee encircled by one long strand of
braided hair. Unlike the traditional heroine trapped in a tower, this Rapunzel
is perfectly at ease in her surroundings.
These 20 new pieces
illustrate Stigliani’s confidence in using nontraditional techniques. Found
objects like bows or fur combined with glitter and gold leaf imply luxurious,
feminine finery. The artist paints from her bed in order to stay relaxed, and
perhaps this process entices these dreamlike fantasies to jump from her brush
to the antique canvases. The artwork juxtaposes girlhood and womanhood, myth
and reality, innocence and worldliness, in embodying the dichotomy facing women
in our society: Does modern culture want a compliant, vulnerable young girl or
a powerful, sensual woman?
Worsham also plays
with these concepts in her chromogenic prints filled with extravagant colors
and sharp, crystallized light. In two photographs, Fruit and Winter Fruit,the artist pays homage to the
formalized still life and the odalisque figure. Fruit portrays a nude, pregnant woman lying on her back across a
bed, with a bounty of Rainier cherries (a
sweet fruit with a limited season) spread on the floor below. A stuffed fabric
swan partially covers her while oranges decorate her breasts. She is young and
fertile, ripe in her youthful womanhood.
In the photograph Winter Fruit a more mature woman
reclines on a bed while fingering persimmons, a fruit that is harvested in
early fall but also sweet when dried. This hints that the woman is later along
in life, even though she wears a sparkling aqua tutu set against a Venetian
landscape painting in the background. Worsham’s compelling images radiate
complexity and compositional expertise.
By mounting these exhibitions side by side, the Jensen Gallery displays two interpretations of the feminine soul and stimulates an intriguing dialogue for men and women alike. (Both exhibits continue until Sept. 4.)
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