Tuesday, February 19, 2008

william utermohlen

So, when I was perusing last weeks news and review, I tore out a little blurb about this art show at the foundry (10th and R). Self portraits by this guy as he descended into Alzheimers. Grim, I know. It sounded familiar, and then I figured out why. The nytimes wrote it up like five months ago. It's so cool that this is in sac! Don't look at the slideshow on the article or you'll ruin it for yourself. Anyways, the foundry is open every day except sunday and monday, including today until 6.

4 comments:

beckler said...

now that I'm not fighting with local publishers you guys sure are quiet. the show at the foundry is worth a look. it was interesting to talk to one of the curators about it, because I found the later stuff to be terrifying and tortured in a francis bacon kind of way, while the curator compared it to some childrens art that was diplayed upstairs and said she found it free and childlike.

Liv Moe said...

hmmmm, free and child like... it reminded me of Bacon too with a little Artaud thrown in. in the later images i saw online he seemed more trapped and frustrated than carefree. maybe it's what i'm reading into it but to me many of the paintings online look like someone who is desperately trying to hold onto to their faculties and fighting a losing battle. i wonder if she said that to downplay the obvious sadness present in the work? i'm definitely gonna go check it out before it's gone.

beckler said...

She said she had talked to many caregivers who had come in and said that the relatives that they were caring for had no memories at all towards the end but were happy and untroubled. i think there is an in-between stage where the person is aware that they are losing their minds, and I think they are unhappy at that point.

the gregory kondos paintings are pretty cool, thiebaud-esque yes, but nice to look at

Liv Moe said...

this is gonna sound kinda dumb but when i first read the articles i wondered how he remembered that he was a painter as his condition worsened.