James robie, my life as art, 40 years of graphic design and fine art

CSUN Art Galleries, Main Gallery 18111 Nordhoff Street Northridge, CA 91330 (818) 677-2226 Gallery open: Mon-Sat 12-4pm, Thurs 12-8pm February 12 – March 26, 2011
James Robie, My life as Art, 40 years of Graphic Design and Fine Art
CSUN Art Galleries, Main Gallery was great. Entrance was free and the people were really nice; They were there to answer any questions. Since most of the workers were students, they seem to know a great deal about the artist.
The exhibition shows a full spectrum of the different 40 Years of Lifespan of Art. He experiments with all styles of art It is his lifes journey expressing his different moods and experiences by different means of expressions whether it is painting, prints, , photography, sculptors or graphic design. It was diverse but interesting to see that one artist had so many different talents. I was particularly impressed by his sculptures
His sculptures are fascinating as they are made either from exotic wood or an assortment or stone pieces. The use of oxidized paint gives it a metallic copper finish as though the sculpture was done by an tribe in Africa or it came from an ancient people from an Aztec pyramid. The carving is done in such a way that the viewer sees what he want. There is a combination of modern with ancient.
The chosen piece ” Shrine” was displayed as a major piece in a the corner of one of the rooms. The lighting was excellent so as to show the effect of the oxidized finish. combines modern with ancient. I have to note that I did not mark the year it was done and I could not find it on internet.
The cross on the top of the piece show his technique as a modern graphic designer. It is pretty and really gives no other indication until you start to think of the symbolism of the piece. As you take your eyes and start looking down you see the cross as a means of joining two pieces of wood or two people. It is quite common in both African and local culture in Latin American culture to have two people joined together in wood in the form of a statue.
His technique is modern as the viewer needs to look awhile as to see the purpose of the Shrine. It is a shrine to the couple. It is a shrine to man and woman. There is no differentiation to the man and the woman. This is also another modern technique. Is the cross a protection of God? This is just an idea. The use of oxidization shows that the unification of man and wife is an ancient custom and will continue to last.
This piece can be interpreted as just a piece of wood with a pretty form. In any other context it would have been interesting to take different statutes from different cultures to compare the same subject, then the viewer would have seen the meaning given to the Shrine. I chose this piece because it took work to figure out why he did it.
References:
Art Galleries, Web 21 March 2011. http://www. csun. edu
James Robie, My life as Art, 40 years of Graphic Design and Fine Art. Web 21 March 2011. http://aigalosangeles. org
Robie, J. The Shrine. Web 21 March 2011. www. academia-research. com