Chiaroscuro: Drama, Serenity
and Perspective
May 10
12:00pm
Primitive, 4th floor
Concert Program
Tenebrae
Osvaldo Golijov
Allegro non troppo Adagio Un poco Allegretto Vivace ma non troppo presto
Johannes Brahms
String Quintet No.2 in G Major, Op.111
Along with advancements in technique and changes in subject and purpose, art’s progress can also be tracked with innovations in including emotional material and execution of the artists unique perspective, linking the experience of the artist with their art.
One such major shift was was Caravaggio’s invention of the style that would become known as "Chiaroscuro" or "Lightdark". This style used paint and color to create effects of illumination and shadow to extents that had not been seen before, creating an ability to convey emotion with new heights of drama. Expanding this idea of light, darkness and contrasts, our program features a piece that Brahms wrote in the twilight years of both his life and the Romantic era. Characterized by his quintessential weighty, thick and emotive style, Brahms turned sketches for a symphony into this quintet, giving it an unusually grand and dramatic flair.In "Tenebrae", Golijov contrasts the pain and violence of war, specifically referring to the start of the Second Intifada, with the serenity and beauty of the earth as seen from afar in space, creating a work designed to create different experiences from listening closely and from afar. The Work of Sherbarth, Westervelt, and Miller
The dried paint chips brought new texture and an element of randomness to the canvas that was beautiful and evoking. By using multiple layers of skins, he creates his composition like an appliqué – except, with his own unique medium. Westervelt's paintings reflect a certain raw primitivism that is both moving and seductive. Many of his works feature faces and figures that express the emotions and inner conditions of being human.he works are emotive and contemplative. They express through the artist's singular visual language what it means to be human, the journeys we embark on, and the evolution of the self. While a classically trained artist, Westervelt's style of art has transformed over the course of his career to incorporate various mediums. Most notable is his use of dried paint pasted onto his works, creating a unique three-dimensional texture to his emotionally powerful paintings. He creates and works with dried paint skins that he later applies to mixed-media compositions. Mark Westervelt
1948-2021
Scherbarth was a self-taught American artist who had a highly impactful career in cold-wax painting and works on paper. The last body of work he created was a series of 72 images on paper, one for every year of his life, depicting a currach(an irish wood framed boat) in juxtaposition to one or more stones. Created in 2021, the series tells universal stories embodying the emotional content of any individual’s life. James Edward Scherbarth
1938-2014
Miller was a professor at the School of the Art Institute Chicago. A well known artist and printmaker, These woodblock images were inspired by the famous Japanese print, The Great Wave at Kanagawa, by Katsushika Hokusai in 1829Michael Miller