JORIAN HOLKA
Special to The Leader
Now through Feb. 8, 2015, the Emmitt Christian Gallery on the second floor of the Rockefeller Arts Center is serving as the host of an exhibition by student artists Laura Adinolfe and Marisa Bruno, entitled “Tension/Perception.”
It should be noted that the exhibition displays two different series — Bruno’s “Tension,” which she said “focuses on creating an atmosphere of tension in a room and tries to get people to think about others in their lives who might get angry,” and Adinolfe’s “Perception,” which is about “how different objects or events can be perceived differently according to your state of mind.”
Bruno began considering art as a possible career path during her time in high school, when she took numerous art classes. While gaining immense inspiration from popular contemporary painters such as Jenny Saville, Bruno was also encouraged to pursue art through visits to local galleries in Rochester, NY, and while looking at art books. She described the style of her oil paintings as “mostly realistic in nature” and as trying to “convey certain outlooks on life.”
Such an approach is readily apparent in “Tension,” her second display in the Emmitt Christian Gallery, as viewers will immediately recognize the truth evident in her images of facial expressions that characterize this series.
“I would say that while this was a fun and exciting exhibition to create, it is a step towards a larger career in the arts,” Bruno stated.
Adinolfe received her initial artistic inspiration at a young age from her multiple relatives who were involved in art in some way or another. Like Bruno, she too recognized her passion in high school, where she said art was the class that she consistently looked forward to and in which put forth her best effort.
Adinolfe said she loves oil painting because she is “able to change colors and textures with paint to give a composition a whole different meaning.” And it can be seen that her first on-campus series “Perception” is very much based upon meaning; as she said, “my inspiration came from thinking back to a time in my life when I was going through a depression and I realized how different my perception on life is now compared to then.”
Adinolfe’s depictions of various everyday scenes in the paintings that are a part of this series rightfully fit within the title “Perception,” as her use of realism, familiarity and color are sure to evoke different emotions in all of those who view them.
“I would describe this as a single step because I hope to continue with exhibitions and get my work out into the world for others to see,” Adinolfe said with regard to where this exhibition stands in the grand scope of her artistic career.
Marisa Bruno and Laura Adinolfe’s exhibition “Tension/Perception,” while technically two separate series, comes together to create displays of their personal conceptions of some of the most common sights, objects and situations the world has to offer.
While the display allows viewers to visually journey through the minds of the artists themselves, it also allows observers to critically consider their own realities in a way previously unexperienced by many. The exhibition runs through Feb. 8.