the Informer

Courtesy of JoseloffGallery.com

The “Rare Beauty: Contemporary Visions in Book Arts” exhibit, currently featured in the Joseloff Gallery, displays the works of printmakers and book artists.

The artists who have contributed work to this exhibit include the 2011-12 work of Georgette and Richard Koopman and Distinguished Chairs in the Printmaking Department at the Hartford Art School Steven Daiber, Pati Scobey and Barbara Tetenbaum. Invited guest artists include Julie Chen, Kathy Kuehn and Wilber H. Schilling.

The “Rare Beauty” exhibit is unlike many art exhibits with typical paintings, sculptures and drawings are on display.
This exhibit displayed a vast variety of books that are all handmade. Much of the work tied two mediums together and really highlighted the art of printmaking that may be overlooked by the untrained eye.

The pieces that were meticulously laid out about the Joseloff Gallery were letterpress printing, silk-screens and boxes.
This exhibit is very unique not only in the works, but also because it features the work of some of the talented Hartford Art School staff and faculty. In the digital era, we often look past the beauty that is within printmaking and book art.

Some may say it is a dead practice, however it is still alive, but rarely receives the praise it deserves.

This exhibition sought past the digital era, and the pieces on display truly help those who visit the gallery see the “Rare Beauty” within this particular work.

To these artists it is more than just the book’s cover, photography, drawings and binding, they have brought the depth and intricacy that print making contains.

The various works of these artists all have a unique way of expressing the art of a book.

The works on display are not typical means of conveying a book’s meaning, however these pieces truly make you think outside of the box.
The artists used items as simple as a letterpress, to boxes and giant scrolls.

It was clear to see that each artist had a very unique style.Each piece held different aesthetic values, which made it extremely interesting when viewing the pieces.

One piece in particular stood out because of the various materials used. Steven Daiber’s “Socrates/Know Thyself” (1999) was created in an old cigar box. On the table the cigar box was opened with a picture of Socrates with his quote “Know Thyself” directly underneath.
The cigar box contained many materials including a Boy Scout manual, maple leaves, tree bark, quills and twigs that were collected from the artist’s house.

Daiber’s approach to this piece was very interesting and the beauty truly rested in the pieces of nature he collected and neatly lined the cigar box with.

According to Ruth Rogers who also wrote the introduction of the exhibition’s catalog, “to fully appreciate the range of form and content in the artist’s book, there is one requirement of the viewer: you must suspend your expectation that a book is a narrative text with a beginning and end, bound securely between two covers.”

The “Rare Beauty” exhibit truly conveyed a unique medium that brought out a beauty in books that isn’t often looked at.
The exhibit will be on display through Feb. 19.

The exhibition will also hold a panel discussion on Feb. 9 from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m. in the Wilde Auditorium, as well as a public reception in the Joseloff gallery from 5 to 7:00 p.m.