Figure & Form

Photos from the Opening Reception

The Brand Library Art Galleries is pleased to present new art works by Jennifer D. Anderson, Joshua Blakeslee, Michele Castagnetti, Samantha Johnson and Harlan Wintrobe. The five accomplished artists showcased in this exhibition work in a variety of media, including printmaking, photography, and cast bronze. Each artist uses their media to uniquely depict the human figure or form in a manner that expresses their interest in human archetypes, transformation, physique, and emotion.

Jennifer D. Anderson (Hawthorne) has a BFA from East Tennessee State University and an MFA from The University of Georgia. Anderson has always been drawn to the manual, reproductive qualities inherent in the physical processes of printmaking and papermaking; recently she has combined these traditional media with digital processes and outputs. The work in this exhibition consists of semi-translucent layered and laminated archival inkjet prints on Japanese paper. Her work incorporates images of the physical body, internal and external, and questions the extent to which our selves are expressed in our physical aspect. Anderson cuts the layered images in the style of the portrait silhouette and mounts them away from the wall so opaque shadow portraits are cast. The symbolism of the shadow or shade adds another layer of meaning and mystery to her work. Anderson has exhibited extensively across the country and in the Los Angeles area at Market Gallery, SCA Project Gallery, Angels Gate Cultural Center, and the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center. To learn more about Jennifer Anderson’s work visit www.jenniferdanderson.com	Jennifer D. Anderson (Installation View at Angels Gate Cultural Center) mixed media
Joshua Blakeslee (Los Angeles) graduated from Emerson University with a degree in film. In addition to his fine art photography he has an active career in the film industry. The body of work presented in this exhibition documents participants in political rallies and marches in Washington D.C. and Los Angeles. Blakeslee’s arresting compositions capture figures in moments of outrage, curiosity, anger, and bemusement. His ability to isolate and document the emotions of individuals surrounded by chaotic crowds is remarkable. The richly toned silver gelatin prints are an ideal medium for this technically accomplished body of work which is both poetic and perspicacious. Brand Library Art Galleries is pleased to present the first showing of Blakeslee’s work in Los Angeles. To learn more about Joshua Blakeslee’s work visit www.blakesleephoto.com	Joshua Blakeslee Washington, D.C. 9/24/05 7.5 x 11”, silver gelatin print
Michele Castagnetti (Venice) was born and raised in Italy. After studying graphic design in Milan he earned a BFA from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. An accomplished photographer, artist, and graphic designer, the series of works presented in this exhibition represent a synthesis of his artistic pursuits. The large scale works that make up the Les Femmes Fatales series are created using combined photography and painting techniques; pigment and polymer dyes and paints are applied to traditional chromogenic and gelatin silver photographic prints made by the artist. The femmes are accomplished individuals Castagnetti has photographed around the world; each portrait hints at the archetypical fatale. He uses expressionistic application of pigments and dyes to enhance or obscure the archetypes, revealing the complex inner lives of these women. Castagnetti has exhibited internationally and most recently in Southern California at Applegate Gallery in Santa Monica, Farmani Gallery in Beverly Hills, and the Red House Gallery in Venice. To learn more about Michele Castagnetti's work visit www.michelecastagnetti.com	Michele Castagnetti Igea 36 x 48”, mixed media on canvas
Samantha Johnson (Burbank) studied graphic design at Gwent College and printmaking at the Slade School of Fine Art in the United Kingdom. Johnson creates lyrical portraits of figures using a delicate hand transfer technique that complements the processes of photo-etching and photo-silkscreen. The fragility of the transfer lends itself to the ethereal nature of her subjects, which are composites taken from multiple early twentieth century images, often of stars of stage and screen. Each black and white composite figure is embellished with stencils, colored pencil, stamps, appliqué and stitching, reflecting the artist’s interest in metamorphosis and the transformation of the physical form. Johnson has exhibited extensively in the United Kingdom and most recently was an award winner in the Brand Library Art Galleries annual juried exhibition of works on paper.	Samantha Johnson The Scarlet Empress 16 x 20”, mixed media on canvas
Harlan Wintrobe (Los Angeles) is a sculptor and published poet and a doctor of medicine. He studied at the Joslyn Art Institute in Nebraska and with a variety of master teachers including Johathan Bickart and Bruno Lucchesi. Wintrobe won a juried prize in both 2002 and 2003 at the National Sculpture Society International Awards Show for the works Ty Cobb and Sunday in the Park with Georges, respectively. His bronze sculptures range in size from small to monumental. Each sculpture begins with charcoal drawings that are reworked until “forms begin to fuse.” The identity of a work appears as the process evolves from drawing to clay to wax and finally into the cast bronze. Like Matisse, Wintrobe believes that sculpture devoid of emotion drains the medium of its potential as an evocative material. Wintrobe’s sculptures are eclectic and evoke an emotional response that runs the gamut from whimsical to somber. His work appeals to the touch, the eye, and the heart. Wintrobe’s sculpture has been exhibited at the Brentwood Art Center, the Cunningham Gallery and the Carlin Cooper Gallery, all in Los Angeles, as well as at venues affiliated with the National Sculpture Society’s annual awards show. To learn more about Harlan Wintrobe's work visit www.harlanbronze.net	Harlan Wintrobe Esther Williams 22 x 15”, bronze

Visitor Info | Brand Library Events | Recital Hall | Art Galleries | Contact Us