I attended the Arts at Baruch workshop held at the Mishkin Gallery on November 3rd. At the gallery I was introduced to the art work by Mercedes Matter. Our work shop coordinator introduced us to a number of her paintings dating from her early works in her teen years to work she worked on a few years before her death. Mercedes Matter was famous for her paintings of abstract art. The coordinator also introduced us to her oil paintings where she uses a rich contrast of vibrant colors and her passion for still life painting. The coordinator reminded us that in order to understand Matter’s paintings we should not compare them to realistic objects rather to see through them and identify the abstract objects present in the paintings. On closer observation, I was able to identify a few fruits Matter’s had painted in one of her recent oil paintings.
I was certainly able to appreciate Mercedes Matter’s passion for abstract art. She was able to bring out still life images with vibrant colors. The coordinator indicated that the use of vibrant colors was used to indicate seasons and subject matters. The workshop was a truly enlightening experience and provides a window for art lovers to appreciate art right at the college.