Stigliani, who livesin Wisconsin, earlier appeared in Milwaukee at the PortraitSociety Gallery with small pen and ink drawings revealing fairy-tale landscapesand/or interiors. This subject material still inhabits the majority ofStigliani's artwork, perhaps in tribute to a childhood spent amid the castlesand fables of Austria.
By displaying anadded depth to her artistic style, Stigliani carries these themes further,composing richer paintings and drawings applied to found or vintage paper, suchas a bookplate from the 19th century. One of her paintings introduces theexhibition in an image titled Rapunzel.Within the picture frame a willowyyoung woman lounges on a Rococo pink settee encircled by one long strand ofbraided hair. Unlike the traditional heroine trapped in a tower, this Rapunzelis perfectly at ease in her surroundings.
These 20 new piecesillustrate Stigliani's confidence in using nontraditional techniques. Foundobjects 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, andperhaps this process entices these dreamlike fantasies to jump from her brushto the antique canvases. The artwork juxtaposes girlhood and womanhood, mythand reality, innocence and worldliness, in embodying the dichotomy facing womenin our society: Does modern culture want a compliant, vulnerable young girl ora powerful, sensual woman?
Worsham also playswith these concepts in her chromogenic prints filled with extravagant colorsand sharp, crystallized light. In two photographs, Fruit and Winter Fruit,the artist pays homage to theformalized still life and the odalisque figure. Fruit portrays a nude, pregnant woman lying on her back across abed, with a bounty of Rainier cherries (asweet fruit with a limited season) spread on the floor below. A stuffed fabricswan partially covers her while oranges decorate her breasts. She is young andfertile, ripe in her youthful womanhood.
In the photograph Winter Fruit a more mature womanreclines on a bed while fingering persimmons, a fruit that is harvested inearly fall but also sweet when dried. This hints that the woman is later alongin life, even though she wears a sparkling aqua tutu set against a Venetianlandscape painting in the background. Worsham's compelling images radiatecomplexity and compositional expertise.
By mounting theseexhibitions side by side, the Jensen Gallery displays two interpretations ofthe feminine soul and stimulates an intriguing dialogue for men and womenalike. (Both exhibits continue untilSept. 4.)
