The Campus Chronicle

Volume 2, No. 28
June 14, 2002

Fred Jesser’s "A Separate Peace II" is part of his thesis exhibition, "Dee-vine Comedies," at Cafe Metropole through July 22.

I can see clearly now

By Ally Jackson

Master’s candidate Fred Jesser has had an exciting year. He was one of the students lucky enough to assist Judy Pfaff with her installation in January and was recently accepted into the New American Paintings magazine (Volume 40) and was a finalist for ArtLink.com International Young Art 2003.

Jesser shows plenty of promise in his thesis exhibition, "Dee-vine Comedies" on display at Cafe Metropole through July 22. Arranging parts, materials and creating illogical structures make the paintings interesting puzzles to put together visually by the viewer.

His inspiration comes from literary sources such as Thomas Kinkade and Dante Alighieri’s "The Divine Comedy." Jesser narrates the simple concept of light versus dark, good versus evil. Cherubs are a good indication of innocent, moral value, while the latter is hidden away in the mire of patterns.

"I am trying to work with patterns and not have it come across as a cliché," said Jesser. "If I can stop the manufacturing system [for which the pattern fabrics are designed] and change their history, then I also create an interesting space for my characters to hide within that new system."

Jesser keeps the scale for the pieces and their forms consistent; the miniscule cast of characters, arranged on large-scale canvases and hidden among complex fabric patterns, is detectable by close inspection and opposing color palettes.

"I take a lot from outside influences, famous painters such as Takashi Murakami and Damian Hurst. I enjoy the plasticity of their work and try to include that somehow in my work," said Jesser. "I enjoy meticulous obsessions in painting, but mostly, if it looks right and it feels right, then it is right."

What’s wrong with this picture?
Painting master’s candidate Michael Thrush’s pop image thesis exhibition, "Subliminal Allegories of a Hotdog," on display at Alexander Hall through June 16, bombards viewers with enough information and color to perhaps delight and intrigue viewers.

I am not so delighted or intrigued. In my opinion, his attention-seeking work is filled with sexually degrading innuendos and humiliating references toward women.

Though he cites influence by notable philosophers and linguists such as Jacque Derrida and Ferdinand de Saussure, I don’t see the connection in the physical work.

His paintings are not about pop culture, as he claims. They are about perpetuation of female stereotypes. Yes, that’s the point of his work — showing the sexual connotations inherent in advertising. I just wish he had chosen a different way to make his point.