tom richard:
bubblegum on jansen’s history of art - part i

 
 

February 28 - March 30, 2023

FIRST WEDNESDAY OPENING: mar 1, FROM 6 - 9PM

ARTICULATE ARTIST TALK: SUNDAY, mar 5, AT 4PM.

NORMAL GALLERY HOURS: TUE - SUN, 12PM - 6PM

FOLLOW US AT BRGALLERY FOR UPDATES AND IMAGES!

 

Tom Richard makes art that focuses on the space between the serious and the absurd. The idea of frivolity amongst the sacred interests Richard, and in this exhibition he uses this dichotomy as it relates to how we teach art history. Many contemporary artists have critiqued the way that western art history has been presented in the past, and some have taken those thoughts a step further. Tom Richard is one such artist.

“In 2021, I began the Bubble Gum on Art Series that depicts illusionistic bubble gum painted over images removed from different art history textbooks.  The painted bubble gum masks a prominent part of the composition (which could be the primary focal point, but in some cases, is the secondary or tertiary one) to hint at a transformation—from black & white to color, appropriation to original, high to low, masking to potential, and serious to whimsy.

Recently, I have continued this series with a more specific focus.  I have cut up the 1966 edition of the pivotal text, Janson’s History of Art (the edition from the year of my birth).  The pieces are grouped by chapter and organized in the order that they were presented in the book.  They are matted in a format to mask the text from the page while presenting the image in the original page location.

These are images from the Chapters in Part I (of 4) of the text.” - Richard

Richard has exhibited his paintings in various locations, including solo and group exhibitions in New York City, San Francisco, New Orleans, Chicago, and Little Rock. Richard has been chosen by jurors around the country for special recognition in national and regional exhibitions, and recently had solo exhibitions at the Arkansas Arts Center in Little Rock, AR, and the Laredo Center for the Arts in Laredo, TX.

Richard currently lives in Monticello, Arkansas where he is a Professor of Art at the University of Arkansas at Monticello.

Learn more about Tom Richard

This exhibition is presented alongside the latest works from Samuel J. Corso and Marcus McAllister. All works from these artists are on view, free of charge, during regular gallery hours (12 - 6 p.m., Tue - Sun) from February 28 through March 30, 2023.  


currently on view