@TheSheldon: Now’s the Time
"A painting is not about an experience. It is an experience." (Mark Rothko) | PC: Hannah Ashburn
Memento Artem
There’s an explosion of color and motion in an exhibition at the Sheldon Museum of Art. Big names from the interdisciplinary movement called the New York School are there. Rothko, de Kooning and Frankenthaler are just a few. Each artist provides something special, yet there’s something oddly familiar that ties each together. This host of diverse, ingenious work has been titled Now’s the Time.
Post-World War II New York fostered an environment of not only hope, but creativity bursting at the seams. In fact, it created a new dialogue about American artistic expression and its evolution.
It was the New York School that took advantage of this time to propel new and innovative ideas about art. Most within this group considered themselves abstract expressionists. However, each pulled the movement into surprising and unique directions that only enrich the conversation they’re trying to have about art.
Now’s the Time can be an overwhelming exhibition. There’s so much color and movement pulling the viewer in every direction that it feels like every artist is trying to talk to you at once. However, every viewer seems to find an artist or piece with which they connect.
“I loved Judith Godwin’s Male Study”, says senior graphic design major Nicholas Morrison. “You can see how she captured the movement of the subject in paint. However, you can still make out the form of the figure. She organized chaos into order in an amazing way.”
Male Study by Judith Godwin | PC: Sheldon Museum
I, personally, connected most with what is most likely considered the “star of the show” for the exhibition––Mark Rothko’s Yellow Band. Rothko emphasized that art was about a personal experience between a work and the viewer. This is exactly how I felt about this piece. It’s a painting that radiates warmth and emotion that almost beyond words.
However, individuality is emphasized throughout the exhibition. There are different artistic mediums, techniques and subject matters that really make Now’s the Time a really enriching experience for anyone. So, if you have an afternoon of free time, I would highly recommend you make the trip to the Sheldon Museum of Art and check out and experience the conversation that is Now’s the Time.
Now’s the Time is at the Sheldon Museum of Art now through December 31. The Sheldon is University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s very own art museum and located in downtown Lincoln. Admission is free to the public. In addition to various temporary collections that rotate throughout the year, the Sheldon also has a permanent collection that serves to inspire.
Cameron Cizek is a junior studying computing