Tangible Souls
By Tom Wachunas
“The most difficult thing for me is a
portrait. You have to try and put your camera between the skin of a person and
his shirt.”
– Henry Cartier-Bresson
“The countenance is the portrait of the
soul and the eyes mark its intentions.” – Cicero
“Ah! Portraiture, portraiture with the
thought, the soul of the model in it, that is what I think must come.” –
Vincent van Gogh
EXHIBIT: “50: New
Portraits by Heather Bullach” at
Translations Art Gallery, THROUGH MARCH 1, 331 Cleveland Avenue NW, downtown
Canton. Viewing hours Noon to 5p.m. Wednesdays- Saturdays. www.translationsart.com
Heather Bullach
web site:
With this superb
exhibit of 50 oil portraits (presented on 48 canvases) by Heather Bullach,
Translations Art Gallery celebrates a milestone – its 50th exhibit.
So here’s a heartfelt congratulations to curator Craig Joseph, both for his
continuing dedication to consistently organizing exhibits of substantial
aesthetic worth and his bold prompting that led Bullach to execute the hefty
body of work we see here. A labor of love, really. For the full background,
here’s a link to The Repository article from February 6 by Dan Kane: http://www.cantonrep.com/article/20140205/ENTERTAINMENT/140209660
I’m well
acquainted with the purist dictum that “truth” in painted portraits must come
from disciplined observing and working from life – from the model posed in real
time. Fair enough. But I believe that disciplined observing can employ many
methodologies toward the same end, including Bullach’s use of a computer to
accurately structure and translate her original photos of her subjects into the
painted picture plane. And to her method she brings a necessarily keen,
sensitive eye for nuances of light, color and perspective, along with a
remarkably adroit physical touch that gives a silken presence to her surfaces.
So what I find
most compelling about these paintings is how thoroughly they eclipse my
rational consciousness of their artificiality. These are, after all, less than
life-size, two-dimensional painted canvases, and twice-removed from “reality”
since they are “copies” of photographs. But their impeccably skilled
illusionism is such that they transcend merely credible likenesses and exude lifenesses. Even the sepia-toned
portraits seem to breathe, to speak.
And who are these
people doing the breathing and speaking ? They collectively represent the ethos,
the soul of the downtown Arts District in all of its aspects. Read the
statements that accompany the portraits in this ambitious homage, and learn of
individual motivations, contributions and influences.
That said, I am
equally thrilled and humbled to be included among them. Seeing my excellently rendered portrait was a
reminder of how oil paint adds ten pounds… Oops, wrong medium. Still, I must do something about this sweet
tooth of mine…
But seriously,
folks… Thanks to Heather Bullach’s dizzying work ethic and astonishing
virtuosity with a brush, this exquisite collection fills the gallery with
palpable joie de vivre and authentic
reverence for the community that has done so much to elevate Canton’s cultural vitality.
PHOTOS, from top:
Heather Bullach at work; Bullach’s portrait of Craig Joseph; preparatory
drawings; installation view
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