Museum of Wisconsin Art Captures Human Individuality

Each day anindividual presents a unique picture to the world based on his or her choice ofhairstyle, clothes and other adornments. These ritualsoften overlooked, evenby individuals themselvesdepend on personality, age, time of year, and manyother factors. The current exhibition on display at the Museum of Wisconsin Art(MWA), titled “To See Ourselves as Others See Us: Contemporary WisconsinPortraits,” uses exquisite portraiture to explore the ways in which peoplepresent themselves. The exhibition’s co-curators, Graeme Reid (MWA assistantdirector) and Debra Brehmer (Portrait Society Gallery owner), selected a dozen Wisconsin artists working in a variety of media tointerpret the complexity of the human persona.

Demitra Copoulosshowcases a new technique that overlays ceramics with digital pigment prints inher busts, including a rendering of Milwaukeephotographer Francis Ford. Copoulos’ sculpture requires an up-close, detailedexamination.

Alongside aportrait, Katie Musolff provides personal notes and a graphite study thatdescribes the immense time and thought required to capture an individual oncanvas. Understanding this process allows for a greater appreciation of the oilpaintings that preserve her neighbors in Stoddard, Wis. Musolff introduces asoulful-eyed neighbor with a straight-on portrait in Eugene, 321 North Pearl Street.

Each artist presentsa compelling look at the human face, and sometimes the entire form, as withMarc Sijan’s full-size figures. Some artists may be unfamiliar to the metroarea, but many have attained national stature or will likely do so as theircareers progress. Through her large-scale self-portraits, recent MFA graduateMelissa Cooke reveals a meticulous expertise that will be exciting to watchdevelop. Cooke’s thin layers of powdered graphite, applied to white paper witha dry brush, merge accomplished technique with visionary conceptual themes.

“To See Ourselves asOthers See Us” proves that contemporary portraiture remains a compelling genre.Most viewers will leave the museum with a deeper emotional connection to theunique personalities they meet on canvas and on the street, and with a newfoundrespect for human individuality.

“To See Ourselves as Others See Us: Contemporary Wisconsin Portraits” continues through Aug. 29 at MWA (300 S. Sixth Ave., West Bend).