Painting of a mountain scene. Trees, people, and dogs are below on the ground. The mountain takes up 75% of the canvas. Image repeats three times.

Elemental Art

Jan. 19–March 12, 2023
J. Wayne Stark Galleries | Memorial Student Center, MSC 1110

 
In 450 BCE, the Greek philosopher Aristotle was the first to theorize about the four elements—fire, water, air, and earth—that make life on earth possible. The basic elements in art are color, line, shape, form, and texture. This exhibition will examine how the two “elemental structures” combine to produce fantastic works of art. Examples include Japanese ikebana containers that feature water motifs, Pre-Columbian earthenware figures, as well as glass objects that can only be created by the use of fire and air.

Inside the Exhibition

Pencil drawing of four women doing laundry in a river.
Nine grey and brown shrimp swimming on a white background. Leaves in water in lower third of sheet.
Generally horizontal bands of pinkish tones on a blue background representing ripples of water. Double matted grey over red with brown wood frame.
Drawing of an iceberg at left corresponds to human stick figure at right. Blue water below runs horizontally across the sheet.
Painting of a mountain scene. Trees, people, and dogs are below on the ground. The mountain takes up 75% of the canvas.
Lighthouse on the right and three houses in the foreground. Houses are on stilts.
Painting of boy (child) on horseback looking at a reflection in a silver water trough. The reflection is that of an adult man, also on horseback with a cowboy hat casting a shadow over his face.
Interior view of Stark Galleries. Title wall reads Elemental Art. The adjacent wall features a large painting of a rock and water feature.
Three paintings on a wall with a black art bench in front to them. The paintings depict landscapes.
An ancient pot and a Chinseco figurine sit on a pedestal.
A clear and blue swirled decorative glass vessel sits on a pedestal.