Pansies and mushrooms danced around thorns and a stick star that seemed to be straight out of “The Blair Witch Project.” Nature merges with the mystical in many of the sculptures. The porcelain sculptures in his collection featured both dainty and strong elements.
The second collection of the MFA exhibit featured the whimsical ceramic work of Jonathan Kusnerek. Reality and fantasy meet in this jarring collection that speaks on the effects of climate change and our relationship with nature. The blue water is polluted by a rainbow oil stain that seems to surround the figure like a halo. Green grass and blue sky are cut by a drainage pipe. My favorite painting from this collection, “Drainage Ditch Narcissus,” depicts a human figure lying in blue water. Similarly, the combination of nature, the body and manmade trash are equally unsettling. In some paintings, such as “Meatsack Sisyphus,” the anatomical body parts are few and far between and the main figure looks almost like an uncooked chicken breast. However, when Ostrander paints the heads of his subjects, he simply paints a nude orb with a smiley face. Each painting features portions of the human body that are anatomically correct. Ostrander’s human forms in each of his paintings take on both classical and abstract qualities. Beardsley cash prize by the Museum Director and, upon taking in his work, it is clear to see why. When visitors enter the MFA exhibit, bright colors and alien-esque human shapes draw them towards James Ostrander’s collection of oil paintings.
In addition to showing off the technical talents of the four student artists, it provides a space for all ND students to consider issues facing the world we will live and work in when we graduate. The exhibit covered all aesthetics, from dainty mushrooms and flowers fashioned from porcelain, to a giant multi-media sculpture featuring a toy drone, heavy chain and shadow of a bomber.
This spring, four Masters of Fine Arts (MFA) students displayed their art theses among the other collections of art in the Snite. Notre Dame has a lot of best kept secrets and the Snite has often been listed as one of them.
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