Art & Illusion: Go!

It’s a funny thing about art; people always say they want to live in an area with world-class cultural offerings, but that doesn’t mean they want to go. They like to know that their city matters enough to house great art or a top-notch symphony, but they don’t really want to commit any time to it.

Believe me, I’m guiltier than most; I love art, and know I should do a better job supporting local fine arts institutions. With that in mind, I sincerely hope the Susquehanna Art Museum is getting a great turnout for Art and Illusion: Selections from the Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation. Trust me, if they aren’t, they should be.

Roy Lichtenstein, Modern Painting, 1967.  Oil on canvas, 16 x 16 in. Collection of the Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation. © Estate of Roy Lichtenstein

On Saturday, I spent an irrevocably rainy morning at the museum, checking out both the Weisman Exhibit and the DOSHI Gallery. Right now the DOSHI Gallery features the work of Lebanon artist Carlos Diaz. His work is interesting; especially the pieces that play off of skewed perspective.

The Weisman exhibit was fantastic. It includes pieces by Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein, but it wasn’t really the work of the big names that made it such an enjoyable experience. The Warhol piece is a portrait of Frederick Weisman, and it’s actually one that is rather out of character. There are a few Lichtenstein pieces and—don’t get me wrong—they are certainly interesting and significant, but if you aren’t familiar with Lichtenstein’s work, I doubt you’ll be blown away. You might actually wonder what the big deal is.

What makes the exhibit great is its variety and accessibility. Whether you are a modern art lover or not—whether you are an art lover or not—you’ll be able to appreciate this exhibition. Masaaki Sato’s Newsstand No. 28 is the kind of piece you think you’ve been looking at for five minutes twenty minutes after you first approached it. I was also struck by Long Drop, a hyper-colored oil painting by Robert Yarber (who is actually a professor at Penn State). To be great, an exhibition, gallery or museum has to include at least one work that is physically hard to pull yourself away from, and Long Drop was it for me.

If you’ve never been to the museum, it is a nice size. It’s not so large as to be overwhelming and it’s not so small that it has no flow. Whether you have half an hour or a few hours, I highly recommend checking out Art and Illusion. It’s a great exhibit, and Harrisburg is truly lucky to have it.