By Remy Niland
The echo of footsteps was the only sound in the room.
The students went to lunch. Professors were in their offices. Only two people stood in the room, looking at the artwork on the walls.
Four feet, two people, two experiences. My fingers danced on my phone screen, my heart pounding a little too hard in the quiet, as I contemplated this stranger and why they were in the same place – a little art gallery hidden in the corner of the Springfield College campus – at the same time as me.
Chris Rondinelli, a Pre-Physicians Assistant major here at Springfield, wandered into the William Blizard Gallery this week with a will and on a whim. He wanted to see what the “Narrative Portraiture” exhibit was all about.
“It was intriguing to me because I’m a fan of art, so I like to just see different
perspectives and different contrasts,” Rondinelli said. “Especially with how artists portrayed their subject on the matter.”
He is one of the few students who make their way into the gallery throughout the school
year on their own terms, rather than being forced into going because of an assignment. Rachel Justice, an Art Therapy major, is also one of these students that frequents the hidden gem on the second floor of Blake Hall.
When asked why she doesn’t think a lot of students come to see the exhibits, Justice said, “Galleries in general always have this really haunting atmosphere. I think it’s the mostly plain and empty room with these specific lights and all this art. It can be inaccessible for some, but there is the sanctuary atmosphere that I really respect.”
Throughout the year, the gallery is full of incredible pieces that reflect the exhibit’s
theme created by artists whose work deserves to be viewed and respected. In the gallery’s current theme, “Narrative Portraiture,” the artists hope to capture the individual as a whole, rather than just a piece of their personality through various artistic mediums.
Artist Arielle Jessop-Humpage did just that. After completing her Masters in Art Therapy
and Mental Health Counseling at Springfield, Jessop-Humpage was asked to include some of her work in the “Narrative Portraiture” exhibit. Like most of the artwork, the pieces included in the exhibit were very personal to her as an artist and as an individual.
Jessop-Humpage likes to explore the duality of an individual, most notably of herself and the people around her. She uses art to process her emotions and interactions with others, trying to find both sides of a situation and learn how she can have multiple feelings at once. Life is something she contemplates often, especially with unexpected changes or circumstances.
“There’s so much nuance there, and there’s so much in between,” Jessop-Humpage said. “Things can be really funny and light, things can be really dark, and there’s the whole spectrum of in between those things, too.”
The concept of duality comes up often in the exhibit, like in the work of Holly S. Murray.
In her piece “Longing,” a young woman, painted in cool colors, looks out the window at a castle, which is painted in warm colors, suggesting the separation of the two livelihoods through color contrast. The young woman can be content with the life she lives, while also being envious of (and can hope for the chance to live) the life she sees from her window.
While many of the gallery pieces, like Murray’s work, take on a melancholic tone,
Jessop-Humpage tries to counteract that view with pieces that represent the duality of the individual by finding the humor in darker topics.
“Is it that deep? Is it that serious?” she asks. ”Can we sort of be like, ‘Hey look at this
really serious thing; and can there also be humor in that?’”
The unification of the gallery pieces comes from this duality of emotion, while also
exploring it as a duality of color schemes to portray each side, as Justice explained.
“Something that unites a lot of the pieces in the gallery is the use of contrast, or the use of colors on the opposite sides of the spectrum,” Justice said. “I think there may be something there, that it takes two complementary colors to make a cohesive and successful piece. It takes two opposites to make a whole.”
Photo courtesy of Springfield College