Mark Sheinkman's work on canvas explores the possibilities of abstraction through the classic elements of drawing. He combines line, texture, and contrasts of light and dark to create spatially complex and visually hypnotic works that are simultaneously paintings and drawings."
There are three types of artists in this world: thought-provoking, awe inspiring, and beauty capturers. Mark Sheinkman is all three. I felt transported as I viewed his works on display at the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, partly because I once lived on the East Coast (New York and Washington, D.C.). There was a bit of the East Coast grit in his work and New York's cutting edge style. His pieces are exciting and wild but at the same time calm and steady. Sheinkman is definitely an artist to follow.
In all of art there is a sadness, though it may be communicated in different ways: darkness, loneliness or fear. All of those are present in Sheinkman's art, but not in a way that makes one feel down when they leave. He captures a sort of truth that we all have experienced or will experience: life.
All the pieces on display are untitled, which leaves the interpretation up to the viewer. This might throw some viewers off; at first I was looking for titles on the pieces, wanting to know what he meant by this one or that. But after I couldn't find them I started using my eyes and my mind to find what the artist was trying to say or convey. What a wonderful way to get us to use our minds! This display is a refreshing break from the studies that are already piling up this semester.
Mark Sheinkman's work has been on display at The National Gallery of Art in the nation's capitol, the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, Tex.., and the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art in New York City. His work will be on display through April 10, 2005 at the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, at 4420 Warwick. Admission is free. For more information visit www.kemperart.org.
ywilliams@unews.com
