Nature Imagined
Art Review
Magic realism-stepping across the line dividing here from there-turns me on, be it in the novels of Murakami, Marquez, Eco and Mishima, or in the work of Flora Langlois, a Wisconsin artist who hails from Costa Rica. You too can fly unfettered straight to the heart of make-believe, where fantasy reigns from Nov. 21 through Dec. 27 at Tory Folliard Gallery.
To my mind, the best fairy tales suggest danger lurking until death comes knocking and (perhaps) resolves our earthly games, which in Langlois' acrylic paintings are played in excruciating detail. Here frolics Truth among the lush greenery, where all seems well enough, but not quite, as Truth is never simple. Elements of Wilde, Bosch, Bruegel The Elder and Uttech populate her fantasies. Initially, I was bothered by some obvious references to Uttech's paintings, references that include his familiar owl and bear themes set against the northern lights of Wisconsin. On further consideration, I decided they are not ideas stolen, but instead are layers of art history illuminating Langlois' long career. Love Seed Pods, a delicious example of a thriving mind, depicts four elongated women encased in pods, though it's unclear if they signal lives about to close, or lives beginning. Is there a moral here? If so, resist it-not knowing is far better. At age 80, Langlois spins quite a tale.
Now imagine Ohio-based artist Dennis Wojtkiewicz as a Lilliputian artist painting images of pieces of fruit about to be served to Gulliver-gigantic slices depicted in oil paint glowing with light and color, each fruity segment an architectural wonder constructed by nature.
Langlois and Wojtkiewicz serve as two tellers of tales using paint in lieu of words: one cunning and layered, the other in your face. No need to choose one over the other. Ask Folliard's staff to also show you the work of John Wilde. Never has a dead rodent looked so intriguing; never has a pair of entwined carrots seemed so sexy. Trust me.
Also in Art:
- Wed
7 - Thu
8 - Fri
9 - Sat
10 - Sun
11 - Mon
12 - Tue
13
The American political drama that began in the upheaval of the 1960s reached its climax with the Watergate scandal and ended in 1974 with the resignation of Richard Nixon. An epilogue was added to the story when Nixon emerged from seclusion in 1977 for an
In 1964, the time of Doubt, no one spoke of pedophile priests, even if the Roman Catholic Church was already riddled with them. Directed by John Patrick Shanley from his own play, one of the most provocative recent productions on a Broadway that has surre
Although the wacky, anonymous, eyeball-mask-wearing members of The Residents make a point of labeling it a collection of "pop songs," The Bunny Boy isn't simply a pop album. It's also a cryptic Internet series that "inspired" the album, a live performance
Steve Grimm's place in Milwaukee music history remains secure for having fronted one of the city's most prominent bands to make it to a major label. It's been a while since Bad Boy was a happening entity, but Grimm remains vital-if inextricably linked to
Mitchell Street was once known as the Polish Grand Avenue, the main drag for Milwaukee’s large Polish-American community. The Poles began moving away in the 1970s, making way for new chapters in the city’s immigrant story. Mitchell Street has
Little touches set it apart: the twist of lime on the rim of a glass of cranberry juice, the faux modern paintings on the wall… Ten years after it opened, Metro Bar & Cafe, just off the lobby of Hotel Metro (411 E. Mason St.), remains a timelessly
Sen. Russ Feingold of Wisconsin asserted Wednesday that Roland Burris should be seated in the Senate, becoming the second Senate Democrat to publicly break from party leaders on the controversial appointment.
In an interview, Feingold said Democratic arguments that Burris should be denied a seat because he was [...]
