'The art of war'
New paintings meditate on the cause of war
Anna Nguyen
Issue date: 4/15/09 Section: Lifestyles
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The exhibit, "The Art of War: Reflections on Meaning and Memory," combines paintings by Robert Andes, Robert Glick and Golsa Yaghoobi.
The exhibit is set in a Stonehenge-like memorial, which has been specifically prepared for the show, in the large gallery at the Fayetteville Underground.
The exhibit was inspired by some earlier paintings by Robert Andes at the War Memorial in Washington, D.C., said Gene Andes, coordinator of the Four Square Fine Art Gallery.
The ancient concept of a ring, symbol of immortality and of the recurrent cycles of life and death, was also considered during the creation of the memorial, he said.
"(It's) a nice way to show the paintings and to produce a certain reflective mood in the observer," Andes said.
"The Art of War" exhibit conveys three different perspectives of war and the diverse personality of each artist. Glick coveys war through the deconstruction of figurative abstractions; Robert Andes offers portraits of soldiers; and Yaghoobi, who unveiled her UA master's of fine art thesis exhibit last semester, returns with more haunting black and white paintings.
The artists never put in cognition what their sentiments were. They were allowed to have artistic freedom and maintain a distance while working on their separate paintings, Glick said.
Although each artist has different exposures of war, "the commonalities of war speaks for itself," he said. "We didn't have to talk about it."
Contrasting Robert Andes and Yaghoobi's pieces are Glick's deconstructed, abstract paintings. Inspired by French artist Yves Klein, Glick lit his paintings on fire to evoke the immaterial on the material surface to show fire in a transitory state.
"(The fire) worked well with war because everything about war is transitional," Glick said.
"All of my art is about the human condition," said Glick, whose pieces suggest that no country can maintain force for prolonged periods of time during warfare, evident in the skulls, vague forms of human bodies and desert-like colors.
Robert Andes' pieces serve as portraits of a refugee.
"Since I have not witnessed war first hand, I wanted to give an impression of being outside and looking in," he said.
"My paintings are based on photographs from all over the world depicting, among other things, pride and suffering," he said.
Robert Andes participated in the exhibit because he feels strongly against war, and he thinks most of his images convey that message in a subtle way.
"Ultimately, I hope the subtle quality of my work will help make people stop and think rather than induce a quick 'knee-jerk' reaction," Robert Andes said.
"I wanted to show aspects that I see as an outsider looking in, like the bright and colorful uniforms and the psychological effect of war.
"The uniforms are a representation of pride and power, sometimes with flamboyant colors and patches denoting rank and accomplishment," he said.
Yaghoobi effectively uses close-up portraits of women and children to present her view of war and reflect what she has experienced, seen and felt as a child growing up in post-revolution Tehran, Iran.
Her paintings also represent her sentiments about the current war.
"I intend to reflect my personal experience and my very personal opinion regarding war and the world, mainly as a child and as a woman," Yaghoobi said.
"In a simpler (meaning), as an insider looking at the war - how as I was a kid hopeful or sometimes hopeless. How I was hoping for better or days or sometimes I thought it was the end of the war," she said.
For Yaghoobi, the exhibit shows the artists' desire for peace by showing the truth behind every war and how people are directly and indirectly hurt by it, especially civilians and children, she said.
Andes said he hopes the audience will find the exhibit a contemplative experience, giving each person something to think about and be grateful for.
During the original concept, Andes and the artists wanted the troops to have returned from the Middle East by the time the exhibit opened, but it didn't happen, Andes said.
"War is a human experience and it's an opportunity for society to reflect on the costs of war," he said.
"It is not intended to be disturbing or to take any particular position. It's just to reflect a certain reality," he said.
"The Art of War: Reflections on Meaning and Memory" opens with a reception 5 to 8 p.m. tomorrow at the Fayetteville Underground, located on 1 E. Center St. on the square.
The show will run through Memorial Day.
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