Labitzke February 08

February 6-29, 2008

Curt Labitzke
Passione: Infinite e Eterno
Private preview: Wednesday, February 6, 6-8 PM
First Thursday reception: Thursday, February 7, 6-8 PM
Meet the artist: Saturday, February 23, 3:30-5 PM

Gallery hours: Wednesday-Saturday, 12-5
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Curt Labitzke, a Seattle area resident, was born in New York in 1958, his father an illustrator his mother a quilt maker.  He received his Master of Fine Arts from the University of Notre Dame in 1984 concentrating in Painting, Printmaking and Drawing.  Upon completion of his degree he joined the Studio Art faculty at the University of Washington, Seattle. Curt is currently the Chair of the Printmaking Program and Co-Chair of the IVA Program.  He regularly teaches in the School of Art’s study abroad program in Rome, Italy.  His work has been influenced by extensive travel and reflects a passion for the sensuous quality of Etruscan art, the poetic story telling of the Greeks and Romans and the brut directness of the German Expressionists.
 
The works are often comprised of two heroic figures suggesting narrative through facial expression, posture and their relationship to one another and their environment.  Themes of courtship, romance, passion and desire, are expressed through a variety of intimate poses. Entangled figures dancing, embracing, reclining, or wrestling is caught in the moment when time stands still.  The viewer is drawn in to the scene unfolding before them as thought they were at the theatre.  As with all myths and allegorical tales these pictures suggest a larger meaning, imply more than they explain and encourage multiple interpretations.  The works typically drape the wall like a large tapestry. Each piece is constructed of heavily layered papers, acrylic paint, powdered pigments, collage and emulsion vigorously worked to create an active and engaging surface, reminiscent of an ancient fresco.

Above: An Insecure Man, acrylic paint, powdered pigments, graphite, charcoal, collage on layered archival papers
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