Modern Doesn’t Mesh With Romantic in McGraw Show

DeLoss McGraw has always incorporated literary and artistic movements in his art. His latest endeavor continues to do so, but this time it doesn’t always work.

“Drowned Ophelia,” a series of paintings at the Linda Moore Gallery, are based on works by members of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, a group formed in mid-19th Century England by artists such as Dante Gabriel Rossetti and John Everett Millais in the hopes of undermining the dominant academic painting of the time.

Using late medieval and Renaissance masters as their models, these artists combined a highly realistic technique with serious subject matter.

When McGraw, a San Diegan, combines his quirky and whimsical characters with images from works such as Millais’ “Ophelia,” a haunting rendition of the Shakespeare character who drowned herself after her lover, Hamlet, killed her father, the disparity between the two styles undermines McGraw’s intention.

This is most evident in “Drowned Ophelia with Angels,” “Drowned Ophelia with Paper Flowers,” and “Drowned Ophelia (or Elizabeth) with Paper Angels.” The poignancy of the moment, captured by McGraw in his reproductions of Millais’ face of Ophelia, is trivialized when it is surrounded by his boldly colored and fantastic imagery.

Fortunately, McGraw was inspired not only by the art from this period but also by the poetry of Christina Rossetti, the thoughts of William Morris, and the lifestyles of members of the Brotherhood. His narrative works illustrating Pre-Raphaelite texts are the most successful here.

This is best seen in “Goblin Fruit,” which is based on the poem “Goblin Market” by Christina Rossetti. Among its lines are “ . . . Hug me, Kiss me, suck my juices/ Squeezed from goblin fruits for you.”

McGraw depicts this tragedy of two sisters, who are prostitutes, by drawing one with open arms knocking over a table to embrace her sister. The simplicity of the two, combined with images such as a tall red tower and a table spilling over with fruit, not only reiterates the message but also adds to the vivid metaphors of the poem.

Although Christina Rossetti is associated with the Pre-Raphaelites, she, like all the women involved, was never a member of the group and never considered their equal. The reason for the women’s neglect is quite complicated, but McGraw makes a good stab at pointing out the inequity in several pieces.

The women who inspired the artists were painted as romantic creatures. McGraw’s “Thinking of William Morris” is a nice illustration of the Pre-Raphaelite style, and surrounding the main image, a character who appears to be shouting “angel,” are reproductions of several Pre-Raphaelite paintings.

These idealized depictions of the women, however, were fantasies. Most of these women were lower class workers, such as Elizabeth Siddall, the wife and model of D. G. Rossetti. And most of their lives ended tragically. For example, Siddall killed herself after she discovered Rossetti was having an affair with Jane Morris, the wife of William Morris.

In “Elizabeth” and several other pieces, McGraw juxtaposes the lifestyle of these women with women from the 20th-Century Depression era.

Again, the comparison is incongruous. Yet, as this piece and others in the show illustrate, romantic ideals often hide ugly reality.

“Drowned Ophelia,” at the Linda Moore Gallery, 1611 West Lewis Street, through March 7. Gallery hours are Monday - Friday 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Saturdays 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.

There is always something inspiring about crafts.

Maybe it’s because craft artists often take a creative approach to everyday items. Or maybe it’s because their pieces tend to avoid ugliness, crudeness or unpleasantness, which can’t always be said about the fine arts.

The inspiring nature of the works may come, too, from the fact that these artists attempt to explore individual expression in a world filled with mass production.

All of these thoughts come to mind when viewing “Land of Morning Calm: An Exhibition of Contemporary Korean Metal and Fiber Art,” currently at San Diego State University Art Gallery.

Consisting of more than 60 works by 47 artists, the gallery is filled with necklaces, earrings, rings and bracelets, perfume bottles, teapots, smaller scaled sculpture and vessels. Along the walls are tapestries and other forms of woven material.

The biggest surprise to the exhibition is that there is no obvious Asian influence. The common features in the works are that they are simple, orderly and sensitive to nature, an observation made in a catalogue essay by Joel S. Eide, Director of Northern Arizona University Art Gallery, originator of the exhibition.

Stylistically these pieces are no different from crafts made in the West, a sign of modern-day easy exchange of information.

The one exception, and this is simply because of the vessel type, are the two incense burners made by Hyun-Chil Choi. Quite clever in form, “Family No. 1” and “Family No. 2” are long, slightly abstract silver vessels that resemble a family of water birds. The smoke holes are found in the beaks.

As with any show this size, there are flaws. One of the biggest problems are works that are well executed, but not imaginative. But the works that illustrate both originality and talent overcome the weaker objects.

If one were to divide the exhibition into categories, one could easily find favorites. A few that stand out include Kyung-Sook Nam’s “Good Day,” an etched metal perfume bottle in which two half circles facing opposite directions act as the top and the base of the bottle.

Yeo-Ok Kim (Chang) created a delicate necklace made up of small bulbs of silver etched with gold.

Kun-Ho Byun’s tall vessel “Wind’ Container” is aptly named, for the top of the vessel is pushed to the side as if by a force of wind.

And Young-Ja Kim’s handmade felt piece “Firework” is a free- flowing piece that resembles a Kandinsky painting. Squiggly lines, circles and triangles seem to float on random areas of color.

Several years ago, the American Craft Museum organized a major exhibition aptly subtitled “Poetry of the Physical.” The title would fit here, too. There really is no better description for crafts.

“Land of Morning Calm: An Exhibition of Contemporary Korean Metal and Fiber Art,” at San Diego State University Art Gallery through March 12. Gallery Hours are noon-4 p.m. Monday, Thursday and Saturday. 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday.