Milwaukee Art Connects with Madison's James Watrous Gallery

James Brozek, Lon Michels & Portrait Society Gallery Travel to Madison

Jul. 09, 2012

10:48 p.m.

Two exhibitions first seen in Milwaukee opened Saturday at Madison\'s James Watrous Gallery in the Overture Center for the Arts in collaboration with the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters. The dual exhibitions featured “Entrances: Lon Michels” and “James Brozek: Flowers by Livija,” the latter a collaboration with Milwaukee\'s Portrait Society Gallery. The Portrait Society Gallery featured an exhibition of photographs by Livija Patikne (1911-2001), created from this woman\'s Kodachrome slides hidden in her basement and then gifted to photographer James Brozek before someone carelessly considered them unwanted family photos. Brozek found Patikne\'s photographs compelling so Brozek then digitally printed them for the Portrait Society Gallery. Gallery owner Debra Brehmer incorporated the slides into the exhibition “More than Real: The Death of Kodachrome,” an exhibit which commemorated the final developing of the famous Kodachrome film.<o:p /> In that extraordinary exhibit, Brehmer decided to exhibit a select number of images from more than 250 Kodachrome slides in Patinke\'s collection, which she featured in the lounge of her 5th Floor Gallery in the Historic Third Ward Marshall Building. This July in the Watrous Gallery more than 23 Patikne prints arranged in three categories, self-portraits, still life flower images and grave memorials, evolve into another exhibition that imparts even deeper meaning to Patikne\'s life long passion to record her life on film.<o:p /> At the gallery talk on Saturday afternoon, Brehmer mentioned Livija\'s photos seemed to illustrate a concrete “gathering of emotions” that Brozek indicated were a “collection reflecting melancholy and documenting that apparent loneliness.”<o:p /> Brehmer also added that Livija\'s photos lay untouched in the basement for 15 years, certain never to be seen, and then “found their way into the world against the odds.”<o:p /> The journey of these photographs was exceptional, and the James Watrous Gallery found her pictures equally compelling. Taken by Patikne in the 1950\'s, Livija\'s portraits remember as Brehmer explained, “A woman worthy of a self-portrait” in an era when women in general considered themselves to be homemakers with little marketable value. In an excerpt form an upcoming article Brehmer wrote for Wisconsin People and Ideas, Brehmer concludes, “The photos recall a sad timbre of womanhood…life forever passing.”<o:p /> After the gallery talk by Brehmer and Brozek, Lon Michels spoke briefly about his new exhibition fresh from the walls at Milwaukee\'s Tory Folliard Gallery. “Entrances” displays approximately nine handpainted fur coats and 15 paintings, including Michels\'s masterpiece completed in the last two years, The Last Supper. This momentous and symbolic painting attracted the Madison gallery crowd\'s attention, as the striking image did in Milwaukee. However, for the Watrous opening, Michels offered another grand performance art event. To celebrate the Madison opening, Michels acquired vintage wedding garments, which he hand painted and then applied Swarovski crystals to bodices, sleeves and their trains. When the first notes to the wedding march began to play in the circular gallery, eleven brides adorned with matching headwear walked solemnly through the crowd carrying brilliantly colored bouquets of irises.<o:p /> With the antique gowns painted in primary colors, or covered with heavenly views of clouds and skies or some shimmering in exotic, stunning shades of lavender touched with gold, these wedding dresses modeled by “brides” of every age amazed the gallery. Glorious in their individuality, the gowns challenged the crowds view of any wedding status quo. After the procession, each \'bride\' posed in the lobby where pictures could be taken for a closer view of these extraordinary garments.<o:p /> In creating these art to wear gowns, Michels explored wedding customs usually defined by a pure white or ivory gown. However, other cultures embellish their brides with beautiful gem like colors, gold jewelry and flowing veils or intricate headwear. Michels\'s dresses merge exuberant design, ethnicity and detailed pattern to embody a completely fresh vision of the American bride.<o:p /> The wedding dresses will be auctioned at Baraboo\'s Al Ringling Theatre ( a National Historic Register building) on September 29, to complete the organization\'s wearable art fashion show and luncheon. While the gowns will be stored for safekeeping until then, waiting for another spectacular entrance, the dual James Watrous Gallery exhibitions continue at the Overture Center for the Arts through August 19.  For further information or pictures visit <a href=\"http://www.portraistsocietygallery.org\">www.portraistsocietygallery.org,</a>, <a href=\"http://www.toryfolliardgallery.com\">www.toryfolliardgallery.com</a>  or www.wisconsinacademy.org/gallery

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