| Up North: Imaging Northwoods Culture and Mythology West Bend Art Museum West Bend Art Museum 300 S. Sixth Ave. West Bend, WI 53095 (262) 334-9638 August 2 - September 24 |
| Gary John Gresl, Along my Meridian. Mixed media. |
| Charles Munch, Boundary Issues. Oil on canvas. Courtesy of Tory Folliard Gallery. |
What humans DO up north is addressed the most in
Gary John Gresl's work. He has two large pieces, each
resembling a cabinet covered with artifacts of the north.
Each is a collage of sorts, of what struck me as the
artifacts of a hunting cabin. So he is not surveying the
whole range of objects used by the region's
inhabitants, of making a living – he emphasizes the
freedom and romance of the visitor, symbols of leisure
and play. Deer heads are the most prominent item, the
key symbol of hunting. Gresl also includes pinecones,
roofing tiles, fishing lures, screwdrivers, boxing gloves,
dice, roofing tiles. Along my Meridian really captures
the sense of a closet where such items are tossed.
What Gresl depicts are masculine spaces, of guns and
male toys, pinup photos and cheesecake matchbooks.
Other artists in the exhibit tend to emphasize the male
role as well, leaving us to wonder what mark females
leave on up north.
The artists in this exhibit seek to portray the charm of
the woods and lakes, in images of scenic landscapes,
sunrises and sunsets. They explore different ways of
trying to capture what they experience of nature, some
realistic, some surreal. Forest is the main subject of
these works, depicted over and over again, the key
symbol of 'up north.'
So perhaps the best way to think about different artistic
strategies is to consider the different ways artists look
at, and portray, trees. They often portray trees as 'forest:'
a big mass stretching onward, a panorama of woods
Gary John Gresl's work. He has two large pieces, each
resembling a cabinet covered with artifacts of the north.
Each is a collage of sorts, of what struck me as the
artifacts of a hunting cabin. So he is not surveying the
whole range of objects used by the region's
inhabitants, of making a living – he emphasizes the
freedom and romance of the visitor, symbols of leisure
and play. Deer heads are the most prominent item, the
key symbol of hunting. Gresl also includes pinecones,
roofing tiles, fishing lures, screwdrivers, boxing gloves,
dice, roofing tiles. Along my Meridian really captures
the sense of a closet where such items are tossed.
What Gresl depicts are masculine spaces, of guns and
male toys, pinup photos and cheesecake matchbooks.
Other artists in the exhibit tend to emphasize the male
role as well, leaving us to wonder what mark females
leave on up north.
The artists in this exhibit seek to portray the charm of
the woods and lakes, in images of scenic landscapes,
sunrises and sunsets. They explore different ways of
trying to capture what they experience of nature, some
realistic, some surreal. Forest is the main subject of
these works, depicted over and over again, the key
symbol of 'up north.'
So perhaps the best way to think about different artistic
strategies is to consider the different ways artists look
at, and portray, trees. They often portray trees as 'forest:'
a big mass stretching onward, a panorama of woods
| Gary John Gresl, Along my Meridian. Mixed media. |
| Copyright Art History Chicks, 2006. Contact Us |
The fact that a whole room can be devoted to such pieces suggests how prominent they are in our ideas about
the north, as well as in the artwork about the region. The main room, on the other hand, deals more with the
human role, as lumberjacks, hunters, canoers, swimmers – even roadkill.
Charles Munch's paintings most directly address the issue of the human presence. In Boundary Issues, the
painting is split between deer in a forest and a human in a field, each representing a different way of inhabiting
the land. Wisconsin Fantasy is the rare work here dominated by human transformations of nature, with
Milwaukee, Madison, and farm fields depicted. A deer overlooks this scene from one corner; it takes the same
role in the picture as Native Americans often played in 19th century paintings, surveying what was seen as the
'march of progress' as European-American settlement took over. I wonder if Wisconsinites similarly view the
current wave of development (second homes and facilities for tourists) as bringing progress to the area –
or as something that threatens to sweep away much of the 'wilder' elements that draw people to the region.
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with their mystery. This is often realized in black and white photos: most of the trees might be just a black
mass, and it is the edge, the boundary, that offers striking forms for the eye to focus on. When individual trees
are given more attention, they might have their color shaped by sunlight; John S. Miller's paintings are
carefully attentive to the exquisite range of shades of green that different play of sunshine enables. Or trees
might be spindly, as in Uttech's paintings; on one frame, they turn into tendrils, while in Nin Bimabog they are
blasted and glowing, lit by a spectral moose. Like Uttech's trees, those of Munch leave us with a feeling of the
'other'. They are usually blank or spotted, and sometimes purple and pink at night. In Boundary Issues, his
abstract trees serve as symbols of trees, while in the background, we get a similarly abstract 'symbol' of
forest.
The artists in this exhibit prove effective at perceiving nature in different ways. They acknowledge how it is not
human, how we need to engage it on its own terms. Realistic photographs are one way of doing that, but
paintings like those by Uttech and Munch, which attempt to call up certain feelings evoked by their presence
in nature, are another necessary way. But in a world where every inch of the land and atmosphere is being
reshaped by humans, artists had less to say on humans using this area. Do people who live and work in this
area perceive it in the same way? Do Wisconsin's views of this region tend to promote preservation of certain
natural qualities of the area, as a region primarily for nature and visiting? Will such perceptions prove an
effective means of preservation – or will they, as has happened elsewhere, lead to transformation of the
character of an era as new development for tourists replaces the aspects of up north which these artists
prize?
-Jeff Filipiak
Jeff teaches History and Environmental Studies at Milwaukee-area colleges.
Comments? Email the writer at comments@susceptibletoimages.com
mass, and it is the edge, the boundary, that offers striking forms for the eye to focus on. When individual trees
are given more attention, they might have their color shaped by sunlight; John S. Miller's paintings are
carefully attentive to the exquisite range of shades of green that different play of sunshine enables. Or trees
might be spindly, as in Uttech's paintings; on one frame, they turn into tendrils, while in Nin Bimabog they are
blasted and glowing, lit by a spectral moose. Like Uttech's trees, those of Munch leave us with a feeling of the
'other'. They are usually blank or spotted, and sometimes purple and pink at night. In Boundary Issues, his
abstract trees serve as symbols of trees, while in the background, we get a similarly abstract 'symbol' of
forest.
The artists in this exhibit prove effective at perceiving nature in different ways. They acknowledge how it is not
human, how we need to engage it on its own terms. Realistic photographs are one way of doing that, but
paintings like those by Uttech and Munch, which attempt to call up certain feelings evoked by their presence
in nature, are another necessary way. But in a world where every inch of the land and atmosphere is being
reshaped by humans, artists had less to say on humans using this area. Do people who live and work in this
area perceive it in the same way? Do Wisconsin's views of this region tend to promote preservation of certain
natural qualities of the area, as a region primarily for nature and visiting? Will such perceptions prove an
effective means of preservation – or will they, as has happened elsewhere, lead to transformation of the
character of an era as new development for tourists replaces the aspects of up north which these artists
prize?
-Jeff Filipiak
Jeff teaches History and Environmental Studies at Milwaukee-area colleges.
Comments? Email the writer at comments@susceptibletoimages.com
What do these images of 'Northwoods culture and mythology' depict? This is not an up north of motorboats,
snowmobiles, and fish fries. It feels like an up north as viewed from down south – not a 'lived-in' up north which
includes the houses people live in. This exhibit presents much of the mythology about up north, but little on the
culture of its residents. When the human role is depicted, it is often one of a tourist, canoeing or hunting, as in
the work of Gary Gresl and Charles Munch.
The smaller room of the exhibit features, with the exception of a multi-media piece by Gresl, paintings and
photographs which do not include a human, human structure, or blatant sign of human presence. (And no
animals, for that matter – a realistic reminder that animals aren't looking to pose for our photos.)
snowmobiles, and fish fries. It feels like an up north as viewed from down south – not a 'lived-in' up north which
includes the houses people live in. This exhibit presents much of the mythology about up north, but little on the
culture of its residents. When the human role is depicted, it is often one of a tourist, canoeing or hunting, as in
the work of Gary Gresl and Charles Munch.
The smaller room of the exhibit features, with the exception of a multi-media piece by Gresl, paintings and
photographs which do not include a human, human structure, or blatant sign of human presence. (And no
animals, for that matter – a realistic reminder that animals aren't looking to pose for our photos.)
Wisconsin may not have a mountain range or border
an ocean. But we do have places that have an iconic
natural beauty to us. If asked where one might best
enjoy the beauty of nature in Wisconsin, many of us
might answer 'up north.' So this exhibit offers a
chance to see how artists have depicted scenic
beauty close to home. And allows us to reflect on a
vital issue – what kind of relationship do we have to
nature in our state? The exhibit makes no claims to
be a comprehensive survey of all responses to 'up
north', but it does offer some intriguing insights as to
the predominant ways of perceiving that region.
an ocean. But we do have places that have an iconic
natural beauty to us. If asked where one might best
enjoy the beauty of nature in Wisconsin, many of us
might answer 'up north.' So this exhibit offers a
chance to see how artists have depicted scenic
beauty close to home. And allows us to reflect on a
vital issue – what kind of relationship do we have to
nature in our state? The exhibit makes no claims to
be a comprehensive survey of all responses to 'up
north', but it does offer some intriguing insights as to
the predominant ways of perceiving that region.