Curious Worlds: The Art of Ellen Lanyon

[title type="subtitle-h6"]Abby Sherman[/title][vc_row][vc_column width="11/12"][vc_column_text]

The work of Chicago artist, Ellen Lanyon, is currently featured in the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art. This exhibit, entitled Curious Worlds: The Art of Ellen Lanyon, features paintings and prints created between 1969 and 1984, a period which Ellen called “Magic.” Many of these pieces juxtapose ideas of realist and surrealist movements and tend to feature many animals, plants, and other elements of nature. Often times, the interaction between the different living things are quite unusual and are representative of a much larger idea in a dream-like world.

Being both a painter and a printmaker, some pieces, such as the painting, Arabian Nights, resemble techniques of both printmaking and painting which allows for Ellen’s unique style to be easily recognizable to the audience. At first glance, the fine, stenciled, white lines give the illusion that this piece could be a print. However, after observing the mixture and layers of colors in the background, it starts to become clear that it is, in fact, a painting. Departing from her “Magic” period, this piece reveals a beginning of a new phase of her work, in which she focuses on flowers, wildlife, and machines after dark. She does all this while still managing to incorporate elements and ideas used in past art movements. Lanyon juxtaposes the insects gathering around the radio microphone and those hovering over the flowers simultaneously, representing the ever-changing world around us. All the work featured in Lanyon's exhibit is a part of the permanent collection of the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art. It is currently featured in the State Street gallery, and will be on display through April 17.

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