After visiting the Cardinal Stritch Northwestern Mutual Life Art Gallery, at first I did not think much about the exhibition by Sue Lawton (I've seen it for awhile because I work in the Art Gallery), but I also did not take much time to look at the works (I think at first I was not that interested because I am drawn to and used to looking at bigger works). After taking the time to view the series of illustrations from her exhibition The Circus and the Cyclone, I became very admirable of her work. I really love her work, not only for the technique but also for the story behind her series. The entire story is very well put together, and although the characters are fictional, the series presents a greater meaning - disasters reveal truths, no matter what situation. In Lawton's work, her technique and craftsmanship is amazing. Her line work is very precise and she works very well with the acrylics and water colors. I also think that the chosen hues presented in each individual piece all pull together very well. The overall style of some of the pieces reminds me slightly of the work of Alphonse Mucha - through the similar style of the French posters in a certain sense. In the piece above, I particularly like how the idea of normal vs. stereotype is presented or the idea of normal vs. abnormal (how circus characters are stereotyped). The action taking place and the conversation between the subjects seems normal, almost as if they are living normal lives for a split second, but then the eye is drawn to the whimsical background with the circus characters (tiger, creatures, circus-type decorations) - which reveals their stereotype of being circus subjects, entailing that they do not live normal lives. This idea also applies to the real world and how we stereotype other individuals and have a habit of calling individuals "abnormal", when really, what is normal and who really is normal?
Image derived from: Lawton, Sue. Lovers Walk. 2013. Illustration. Sue Lawton, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Web. 22 Oct 2013. <http://www.suelawtonart.com/blog/galleries/the-circus-and-the-cyclone/>.
Image derived from: Lawton, Sue. Lovers Walk. 2013. Illustration. Sue Lawton, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Web. 22 Oct 2013. <http://www.suelawtonart.com/blog/galleries/the-circus-and-the-cyclone/>.
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