Gladys Nilsson, Wolf , 1971. Acrylic on canvas. 18 ½ x 21 ½ inches. Collection of University Galleries, Wonsook Kim College of Fine Arts, Illinois State University.
Wolf's Clothing: Imagism from the Collection
University Galleries of Illinois State University is pleased to present Wolf’s Clothing: Imagism from the Collection from January 17 through April 2, 2023. All events are free and open to the public.
Wolf’s Clothing presents selected works from the permanent collection of University Galleries of Illinois State University. Artists include: Robert Donley, Peter Bodnar, Krys Hendren, Miyoko Ito, Ben Mahmoud, Gladys Nilsson, William Otton, Ed Paschke, Seymour Rosofsky, Barbara Rossi, and Joseph Yoakum.
The few decades following the Second World War saw a flowering of the visual arts — particularly drawing and painting — in and around Chicago. In the 1950s, a group of artists known as the Monster Roster made freaky, psychological pictures inspired by their experiences in the war and the paintings of Jean Dubuffet. The following decade, several artists associated with the School of the Art Institute of Chicago exhibited together under the group name the Hairy Who. When they disbanded, their loud graphic style influenced a more diffuse set of artists who came to be known as the Chicago Imagists. Frequently, artists associated with all three of these movements are lumped together under the banner of the latter. “Imagism” has become a label of convenience for anything made in Chicago around 1970 that displays an interest in stylized organic forms, cultural reference, and playful, often perverted, content.
The works in this exhibition demonstrate a range of techniques and approaches used by mid-century Chicagoans. Between Miyoko Ito's lithe, muted compositions and Ed Paschke's wily portraits, for instance, there may seem to be little common ground. What connects their work, as well as that of all the artists in this exhibition, is a coy approach to the relationship between abstraction and representation. Just as there are landscapes latent in Ito's designs, Paschke's figures emerge from skeins of indulgent patterning.
The art critic Roberta Smith once called Paschke “a formalist in wolf's clothing”: the photographic precision of his representations belies the delight they take in tricks of ornamentation, framing, and perspective. Likewise, the works in Wolf's Clothing demonstrate how, circa 1970, Chicago artists thematized the tension between what an image shows and how it does so.
This exhibition is organized by Troy Sherman, Curator at University Galleries.
Events and programming
All events are free and open to the public.
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Saturday, January 28 and February 4 at 1:00 p.m.
Tour and Workshop: Art Around You. Co-presented with the Children’s Discovery Museum. Register at childrensdiscoverymuseum.net
- Friday, January 27, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Drop-in artmaking workshop
- Thursday, March 23 at 6:30 p.m.
Screening of the film Hairy Who and the Chicago Imagists
- Saturday, March 25 at 2:00 p.m.
Screening of the film Hairy Who and the Chicago Imagists
- Field trip program, curator-led tours, and workshops available by appointment throughout the exhibition. Reimbursements are available for K-12 schools or community organizations to offset the costs of transportation. Please contact University Galleries at gallery@ilstu.edu or (309) 438-5487 to schedule an appointment.
University Galleries, a unit in the Wonsook Kim College of Fine Arts, is located at 11 Uptown Circle, Suite 103, at the corner of Beaufort and Broadway streets. Parking is available in the Uptown Station parking deck located directly above University Galleries—the first hour is free, as well as any time after 5:01 p.m.
You can find University Galleries on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, and sign up to receive email updates through the newsletter. Please contact gallery@IllinoisState.edu or call (309) 438-5487 if you need to arrange an accommodation to participate in any events related to these exhibitions.
Exhibition Documentation
- Exhibition Images
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Educational Resources
- Micro-Artmaking Lesson
Events & Programming
-
Saturday, January 28 and February 4 at 1:00 p.m.
Tour and Workshop: Art Around You. Co-presented with the Children’s Discovery Museum. Register at childrensdiscoverymuseum.net
Friday, January 27, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Drop-in artmaking workshop - Thursday, March 23 at 6:30 p.m.
Screening of the film Hairy Who and the Chicago Imagists
- Saturday, March 25 at 2:00 p.m.
Screening of the film Hairy Who and the Chicago Imagists
- Field trip program, curator-led tours, and workshops available by appointment throughout the exhibition. Reimbursements are available for K-12 schools or community organizations to offset the costs of transportation. Please contact University Galleries at gallery@ilstu.edu or (309) 438-5487 to schedule an appointment.