The Human Touch
Fresno Art Museum, Ohio, Fresno, 02/04/2011 - 05/31/2011
ABOUT
Thought-provoking. Challenging. Diverse.
These are just a few words that describe The Human Touch: Selections from the RBC Wealth Management Art Collection. The title refers to both the ability of the figure to reflect the human condition and to the facility of artists to depict it. The contemporary works from the RBC Wealth Management Art Collection assembled in the exhibition combine to form an image of our human society at the turn of the 21st century — the end of one era and the beginning of another — as seen through the artist's eye.
The human figure in art carries, in different ways and through different periods, enormous significance. It is the most direct means by which an image can address the positive and negative aspects of human existence. In early societies the meaning of the human figure was supernatural, a rendering of gods or spirits in human form or ritually important people. In Ancient Egypt it was common for non-spiritual persons to be depicted and for the human form to appear in secular context. Later, in the Renaissance, western art's obsession with the figure reflected an increasingly humanist outlook, with humankind at the center of the universe. How much does an image of the human figure reveal or conceal about a person - their experiences, identity, or character? The 48 works in the exhibition explore concepts of self and identity and the artists offer a diversity of perspectives.
For 18 years, RBC Wealth Management has collected and exhibited art that features the human figure, encompassing a wide range of artists and artistic mediums. Over 400 artworks — from serious to whimsical, realistic to abstract — comprise the collection that reflects the contemporary society in which the firm operates. Taken as a whole, it also acknowledges and celebrates the diversity that is so important to RBC, showcasing the works of both emerging and established artists.
Included are works by Frank Big Bear, whose colorful drawings chronicle the Native American experience; Chuck Close, whose autographic work is almost exclusively devoted to portraiture; and Roy Lichtenstein, well-known for his cartoon-inspired images. Also represented are José Bedia, Lesley Dill, Jim Dine, Till Freiwald, Robert Rauschenberg, Jaune Quick-To-See Smith, Carrie Mae Weems, and others.
For More Information
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Thought-provoking. Challenging. Diverse.
These are just a few words that describe The Human Touch: Selections from the RBC Wealth Management Art Collection. The title refers to both the ability of the figure to reflect the human condition and to the facility of artists to depict it. The contemporary works from the RBC Wealth Management Art Collection assembled in the exhibition combine to form an image of our human society at the turn of the 21st century — the end of one era and the beginning of another — as seen through the artist's eye.
The human figure in art carries, in different ways and through different periods, enormous significance. It is the most direct means by which an image can address the positive and negative aspects of human existence. In early societies the meaning of the human figure was supernatural, a rendering of gods or spirits in human form or ritually important people. In Ancient Egypt it was common for non-spiritual persons to be depicted and for the human form to appear in secular context. Later, in the Renaissance, western art's obsession with the figure reflected an increasingly humanist outlook, with humankind at the center of the universe. How much does an image of the human figure reveal or conceal about a person - their experiences, identity, or character? The 48 works in the exhibition explore concepts of self and identity and the artists offer a diversity of perspectives.
For 18 years, RBC Wealth Management has collected and exhibited art that features the human figure, encompassing a wide range of artists and artistic mediums. Over 400 artworks — from serious to whimsical, realistic to abstract — comprise the collection that reflects the contemporary society in which the firm operates. Taken as a whole, it also acknowledges and celebrates the diversity that is so important to RBC, showcasing the works of both emerging and established artists.
Included are works by Frank Big Bear, whose colorful drawings chronicle the Native American experience; Chuck Close, whose autographic work is almost exclusively devoted to portraiture; and Roy Lichtenstein, well-known for his cartoon-inspired images. Also represented are José Bedia, Lesley Dill, Jim Dine, Till Freiwald, Robert Rauschenberg, Jaune Quick-To-See Smith, Carrie Mae Weems, and others.