Francesca Fuchs
Paintings of Paintings
Talley Dunn Gallery
September 8 – October 20, 2012
Talley Dunn Gallery is pleased to announce its first exhibition by the Houston-based artist Francesca Fuchs entitled Paintings of Paintings. The exhibition will open with a reception for the artist on Saturday, September 8, from 6:00 – 8:00 PM and will continue through October 20, 2012. Fuchs will give an artist’s talk at 5:30 PM before the opening reception.
Employing layered washes of acrylic on canvas, the artist’s recent series features exactly what the title of the exhibition portrays, paintings of paintings. Except in this case, the works are not so straightforward and accessible, as the title might suggest. Inspired from the artworks in her own personal collection or those found within her parents’ home, Fuchs’ paintings render the original pieces in her own pastel color palette with loose brushwork. Employing titles such as Framed Architectural Drawing, Framed Painting: Boat, and Framed Print: Late 18th Century Pastoral, Fuchs signals her intentions to the viewer. Yet, as one looks closely at each piece, the fine points of the artist’s style come alive, creating a visual disconnect with what one expects to view and what one actually sees.
In Framed Architectural Drawing, Fuchs re-creates the image as a painting, including the carefully rendered frame and mounting mat over the “paper” of the drawing. Thin washes of blue create the flat sky behind the building, as shadow falls on the side of the structure to suggest the only hint of depth in the overall composition. For both Framed Painting: Boat and Framed Painting: Two Girls, Fuchs again renders each work respectfully, including the gold-leaf scrolls on the traditional frame for the painting of the young women and the severe edges of the grey frame for the maritime scene. Interpreting paintings of so many various styles from different periods, the only continuous thread is the evidence of Fuchs’ hand in the making of these works. As the viewer weaves his/her way through the exhibition, the seemingly disparate paintings begin to relate to one other, as Fuchs constructs an intriguing dialogue among all the works within the exhibition, all the while questioning the very nature of representation itself.
Born in Germany, Francesca Fuchs currently lives and works in Houston, Texas. After studying with Tony Cragg at the Kunstakademie in Dusseldorf, Fuchs was named a Core Artist in Residence at the Glassell School, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and later won the Hunting Art Prize in 2006. Fuchs’ artwork has been featured in one-person exhibitions at the Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston; Diverseworks, Houston; and the Fayerweather Gallery at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville. The artist’s paintings have also been included in important group exhibitions at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Arthouse, Austin; the Gallery at the University of San Antonio; the Dallas Contemporary Arts Center; the Galveston Art Center, and the New Orleans Museum of Art.