From December 1st to February 23rd, an exhibition of photography by Jim Kasson ’60 and paintings by Martin Mugar will be shown at the Paul Mellon Arts Center. The opening reception for this new exhibition is scheduled for 5:30-7:30 PM on December 7th. The opening will provide an opportunity for students to meet the artists,and view their extraordinary work
The theme of Choate alumnus Jim Kasson’s photographs is “Night in the City.” Kasson has photographed different pictures of city nightlife using slow shutter speeds and panning to create pictures that capture a story, or make the viewer think. The images have a mixture of sharp and blurry objects or lines to make for a more interesting and thought-provoking picture. He also uses digital editing and printing processes to create the final artwork. Kasson says, “I try to walk the line between pure abstraction and explicit clarity, tempting the viewer to fill in the details.”
Martin Mugar’s work is similar to Impressionism and Pointillism, as he uses sculptural surfaces, thick paint, and pixilated “pulled dots” of premixed color. Mugar said that these pixilated dots have “evolved through self-reflection.” As Kasson, Mugar draws the eye to different spots on his work. He says, “It starts with the notion that all visual perception is about observing something. The need to see creates the eye; the sensory experience is the fact of that need. My painting is about the desire that underlies the facts.
Jim Kasson’s work was last shown in the Hartnell College Gallery in Salinas, California, and the Blackstone Winery Gallery in Gonzales, California. His photographs can also bee seen on http://www.kasson.com. Mugar’s paintings have been shown at the New England School of Art and Design, the Fitchburg Museum, the Worcester Art Museum, the Creiger-Dane Gallery in Boston, and the Rising Tide Gallery in Provincetown, Massachusetts.
The new art exhibit features artwork by Martin Mugar and photography by Jim Kasson. PHOTO/Michael Tsai ’10
