Blocks of Color at The Zimmerli

When I went to the Zimmerli to look at their Blocks of Color exhibit, I didn't necessarily go because I had a prior interest in woodcuts, but I thought it would be interesting to have a look, because it's not something i would normally be interested in. But I was pleasantly surprised by it and thoroughly enjoyed it. I like how clean and well laid out the images looked even when they were meant to look sketchy. I really enjoyed the colors as well and the overall presentation of the exhibit.

Another thing I also liked about this is exhibit is the variety of artistic styles within the category of woodcuts. There were more abstract and modern cuts by Donald Judd and landscapes by Blanche Lazell and even depictions of Japanese life by Helen Hyde. Some of my favorites were Helen Hyde's Mount Orizaba because of the way that the trees in the picture kind of frame the mountain in the background. I also like the way light is portrayed on the trees and hills and the fact that you can see atmospheric perspective in the distant tree line and mountain.

I also really enjoyed Arthur Wesley's Bridge Over Stream, Ipswich because of its vibrant colors and loose painterly style. I especially like that the water in the photograph has reflections from the scenery around it. The fact that he even bothered to pay attention to that detail and render it so nicely really makes the print beautiful. The complementary yellows and purples make the picture stimulating, especially the yellow reflection in the water.

I enjoyed Donald Judd's woodcuts as well, particularly his Untitled 1994. At first glance I thought it seemed kind of boring, but then I looked closer at the lines in the prints and followed them to the edges and noticed that some prints in the series connected with the blank edges of the paper and other lines remained completely inside of the red block, while others still cut completely through. It doesn't seem too exciting, but it is visually stimulating and kept my attention. There is something slightly entrancing about looking at the lines and following them to where they lead. Its almost how your eyes and mind feel when they are looking at a puzzle or maze.

Last but not least I looked at the work of Polly Apfelbaum, whose use of color, to me is very appealing. I've always really enjoyed art with a lot of colors in it, but I'm kind of particular on how color is used. I like how each frame in the series is based on mainly one color or combination of colors, but in the strips that make up the square are variations of that color or colors similar to it. The imagery is really pretty simple,but I bet the process of creating the print was not.