Gallery Visit 2: Burchfield Penney

What is the title of the exhibit?

The Likeness of Being: Portraits by Philip Burke.

What is the theme of the exhibition?

Caricatures and abstract expressionism of famous people and celebrities.

What type of lighting is used?

Artificial ceiling lighting coming from multiple small bulbs and fluorescent tubes which are accentuated by the brown hardwood floor and the white walls. There is very little natural light inside the gallery.

What colors are used on the walls?

White

What materials are used in the interior architecture of the space?

Hardwood floors, soft board walls and ceilings and a minimum of glass.

How is the movement of the viewer through the gallery space?

Very linear. Everything is arranged in straight angular lines. The floor plan does not allow for any circular movement because the walls are at right angles to each other.

How are the artworks organized?

Most of the art features showbiz personalities and there doesn’t seem to be any discernible order in which these are arranged. There is no separation of subjects by date, name, occupation etc. However, the whole collection can be divided into three broad categories /sections: a) performers who constitute a vast majority of the featured paintings b) politicians c) a small section for a few sports stars and d) a section dedicated to self portraits

How are the artworks similar?

The most prominent artworks are caricatures, huge, oversized, mostly oil on canvas and very colorful. All of them are portraits.

How are the artworks different?

All the subjects look fairly neutral in their facial expressions with the exception of artworks depicting President Bush and his vice president Dick Cheney who both look comical (even for caricatures). Bush is seen holding a pistol and is dressed as a cowboy while Cheney looks positively sinister as he is portrayed with a very pronounced hunchback. The self-portraits of Philip Burke show a serious and thoughtful individual which is a marked contrast to his other works on display.

How are the artworks framed?

The paintings are all unframed

How are the artworks identified and labeled?

Small placards with name, date, media (almost all are oil on canvas) and what publication they were published in are the main identifiers used. The artworks also bear the artist's handwritten signature.

What is the proximity of the artwork to each other?

Most are about one foot from each other depending on the size of the wall and about two feet off the floor. On some walls, they are much closer (barely five inches part), depending, I suspect, on how many they wanted to fit on a particular wall.