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ELYSE GRIECO
Special to the Leader
University at Buffalo’s own Professor Emeritus Harvey Breverman has brought a decade’s worth of art to the SUNY Fredonia campus this month.
Breverman’s collection, “A Decade of Drawing 2005-2015 (Idiosyncratic Amalgams and Disparate Composites)” consists of forty-six portraits of writers, poets and cities from all over the world.
He was able to give insight on his work at his artist reception at the Marion Art Gallery this past Friday night.
Breverman shared that he found inspiration for this exhibit from the people and the situations that he has been surrounded by.
“I look at growing poets and writers that I’ve been on committees with that I’ve known over the years. I sketch them on sight directly from life,” he said. “Some of them pass on and leave the city, but when I do the drawings, I can’t just finish them on sight. I have to go back and tweak them and develop them. In a sense, I am invading their space and their lives, and it’s fascinating.”
Barbara Räcker, the director of the Marion Art Gallery, is in charge of planning the exhibits that are on display.
Räcker, herself, is a huge fan of Breverman’s work.
“What sticks out to me about Harvey Breverman’s work is his superb craftsmanship. His ability to draw is incredible. It’s unmatched,” she said. “He’s well known by all artists, and he’s widely admired in this part of the country. He deserves an exhibit here, and I’m happy to share his work with other people. ”
Breverman started working on his displayed collection in 2005 and concluded it in 2015.
During this time, he was recognized as a “Living Legacy” artist by the Burchfield Penney Art Center.
His pieces are often recognized for their historical significance and ability to tie together the past and the present.
Breverman’s art comes from his many sketchbooks filled with drawings from different events.
One event that he vividly recalled sketching was from a poetry reading he attended by Susan Howe.
“Susan Howe, a marvelous poet, appears twice with her poem right down the middle. She was at an event where she was the principle reader and this guy with a pipe-like unit played in concert with her while she read,” he said. “It was a weird event, so I have that in one of my many sketchbooks. Some of which I will actually be bringing along for students here in the next couple weeks.”
Meghan Siberek, a sophomore animation major, was brought to the exhibit for her introduction to art history class. However, she stated that the mandatory attendance was not the only reason she appeared at the reception.
“I came out for the illustrations themselves. I am a huge sucker for really good drawn hands, so I really like his stuff,” Siberek said.
Although she was not familiar with his work prior to the showing, she went on to talk about her new found appreciation for Breverman’s art.
“His geometric work is really surprising to me. I would love to know if he used a ruler [or] something because it is honestly insane,” she said.
Breverman is extremely popular in the western New York area, yet manages to stay humble when it comes to his fame.
Räcker admitted that Breverman’s personality is part of what makes him and his work as admirable as it is.
“We try to represent artists in western New York, and he is like an [artist’s] artist,” she said. “Everyone knows him and loves him. Not just because of his talent, but because of who he and his wife are. He taught at UB for 45 years, and they have students from all around the country. They are just extremely generous people.”
Breverman’s “A Decade of Drawing” will be on display at the Marion Art Gallery until Nov. 17.
The Marion Art Gallery is open Tuesday through Thursday from noon to 4 p.m., Friday and Saturday from noon to 6 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m.