Some Aspects of Five Works of Art
University Galleries of Illinois State University is pleased to present the exhibition Some Aspects of Five Works of Art from January 14 through February 26, 2025. All events are free and open to the public.
The five lithographs in Some Aspects (two of which appear twice) were selected from the permanent collection of University Galleries. These works were chosen and arranged to demonstrate how different contexts focus our attention on different elements of an image. Artists include Julia Fish, Jacques Lowe, Buzz Spector, and Mark Tobey.
Any image is liable to be looked at a million ways and more. Take Buzz Spector's lithograph Dutch Mills, which is included in the exhibition. The print shows three versions of an identical scene of a windmill arranged side by side and abutting each other. Their dimensions and what they depict are identical, but each scene is drawn with a slightly different degree of finish, making each one more or less abstract than the others. Seen one way, Spector’s print is a side-by-side sequence of three pictures of windmills; viewed differently, it becomes a field of black lines and inky blots on gray. This is the most basic way in which images contain multitudes: representations are always a blend of references to the real world and literal marks on a surface.
"I see that it has not changed, and yet I see it differently," wrote the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein about this human ability to pull multiple meanings from any one image. Wittgenstein called this "noticing an aspect." When we notice an aspect, we are taking a visual experience we have had and processing it in new ways — forging in our minds new relationships between this experience and others we've had, which in turn brings about new elements of the object we're experiencing that we can focus on.
This exhibition presents three pairings of artworks from the collection of University Galleries, each of which encourages viewers to notice different "aspects" of what is paired. Two works are presented twice. When Dutch Mills is placed alongside Jacque Lowe’s photograph of a farm boy carrying buckets, one’s focus is drawn to the subject matter of Spector’s print — the drudgery and mechanics of country life, for instance — rather than to the particular ways the artist has gone about making his representation. However, alongside Julia Fish’s abstract, fragmentary GroundCover lithograph, Dutch Mills seems a very different picture: more so than the shack and windmills, the erratic lines and shifting densities of black that form the scene are emphasized.
It can be unsettling to recognize that the things we see are fundamentally ambiguous, capable of taking on an enormous range of meanings. In a sense, a good work of art is one that opens itself up to this contingency but ultimately fends it off. Art is valuable because of its infinity of possible "aspects," but it convinces its audience of its value once everything but one’s experience with a work has washed away.
Some Aspects 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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Sensory-friendly Morning
Saturday, January 18 from 11:00 to noon. Visit the galleries before opening hours where you can enjoy dimmed lighting and a quiet space.
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Independent Drawing Hour
Wednesday, January 29 from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. Spend time looking closely at artworks in the exhibitions and drawing at your own pace. Materials provided.
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Independent Drawing Hour
Wednesday, February 19 from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. Spend time looking closely at artworks in the exhibitions and drawing at your own pace. Materials provided.
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Poetry at the Galleries
Thursday, February 20 from 1:30 to 3:00 p.m. Write and perform poems in response to artworks on view. *Performance optional.
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Sensory-friendly Morning
Saturday, February 22 from 11:00 to noon. Visit the galleries before opening hours where you can enjoy dimmed lighting and a quiet space.
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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@IllinoisState.edu or (309) 438-5487 to schedule an appointment.
University Galleries
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 X, 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 this exhibition.
Exhibition Documentation
Educational Resources
Coming soon
Events & Programming
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Saturday, January 18 from 11:00 to noon.
Sensory-friendly Morning. Visit the galleries before opening hours where you can enjoy dimmed lighting and a quiet space.
Wednesday, January 29 from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m.
Independent Drawing Hour. Spend time looking closely at artworks in the exhibitions and drawing at your own pace. Materials provided.
Wednesday, February 19 from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m.
Independent Drawing Hour. Spend time looking closely at artworks in the exhibitions and drawing at your own pace. Materials provided.
Thursday, February 20 from 1:30 to 3:00 p.m.
Poetry at the Galleries. Write and perform poems in response to artworks on view. *Performance optional.
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Saturday, January 18 from 11:00 to noon.
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- Free curator-led exhibition tours and workshops are available by appointment for classes and community groups. Contact Gallery@IllinoisState.edu to schedule.
Exhibition Information