LINES from the League The Student and Alumni Magazine of the Art Students League of New York Fall 2013 Letter from the Executive Director itnessing the act of creation is inspirational, especially among artists. Through interaction with one another, students gain insight W and motivation. Step into any League class to witness this energy, or stop into the café and hear the lively discourse on art and creative ideas. The League is at once both a school and a community. As a result, the discourse is richer—not dogmatic but inquisitive, not dismissive but cognitive. The League is a remarkable example of independent study in action, where the greatest benefits go to those who participate the most. By providing the highest quality of instruction and allowing League students to determine their educational path, the League continues to believe in the power of the individual. Not everyone will become a professional artist, but everyone will have gained a level of understanding of the artistic process based on their personal commitment and determination to learn. And for those who arrive as professionals, they will have had the benefits of participation in a supportive, diverse and engaging artistic community. This laissez-faire approach results in each student having a unique experience, and having the opportunity to explore their own imagination. You will see this in the personal stories in this, the imagination issue of Lines from the League. Students from around the world come to the League to connect to art; to learn a language that allows them to explore their creative spirit and potential for poetic visual expression. You will see that once that connection is made the drive to explore is en- thralling. It is the League’s commitment to all its students to provide the means for that exploration to continue. The magazine you hold in your hands, Lines from the League, was founded in 2010 with the objective of building fellowship by sharing stories and showcasing art. You have probably noticed that LINEA, the League’s journal of art and ideas, is no longer being delivered to you. LINEA is now an on-line publication and can be easily accessed through the Art Students League website, or directly at www.asllinea.org. We hope you’ll visit our vibrant journal and enjoy its frequent updates, which include instruc- tor interviews, news, and other new features that reflect the richness of the League’s unique culture in today’s complex and rapidly changing world. Ira Goldberg Executive Director 2 LINES from the League FALL 2013 from the Contents LINES League The Student and Alumni Magazine of the Art Students League of New York Editor Profiles Denise L. Greene The World as I See It Yasuaki Okamoto 4 Senior Editors Qinza Najm 6 Helen Dwork Psychology, Culture and Art: A Fruitful Journey Julia Montepagani Influence into Style Isaac Pelepko 8 Thomas Tacik The Wonderment of Seeing Dorothy Gillespie 10 Copy Editor Beyond Sensual Boundaries Gail Postal, by Helen Dwork 12 Erin Butler The Art of Reinvention Roberta Jacoby 13 Design Director Imaginary Worlds Takayo Noda 14 Lilian R. Engel The Mind or the Heart Theodosia A. G. Tamborlane 15 Designer Lizabeth Buckley Seeds of the League Mark Tatum End of Wits Elizabeth Carter 16 Director of Individual and Planned Giving An Artist’s Statement Devon Martin 17 Denise L. Greene [email protected] Idolatry and Iconoclasm Rahul Dhakal 18 smArt Program MJ King 18 Director of Communications Ken Park Chervenak-Nunnallé Scholarship Victoria Inguanta 19 [email protected] Chashama Exhibition 20 Commentary Welcome MoMA Dome Amy Digi 21 Lines from the League: Student and Alumni Magazine 2013 Grant and Merit Scholarship Recipients 22 welcomes letters to the editor as well as comments, suggestions, Curatorial Perspectives: Six Degrees of Peggy Bacon Jillian Russo 26 and corrections. Send correspondence Student Bequest Sol Tanne 27 by e-mail to [email protected]. Lost and Found Executive Director Seeking Former Anne Goldthwaite Students May Lamar Donnell 28 Ira Goldberg Uncle Warshaw 29 Postscript 29 Nathan Wasserberger 2013 Calendar: League Dates to Remember 30 Cover image: Yasuaki Okamoto, Born to Die Live to Sin, (detail), 30x40, 2011, Oil Fall 2013 3 profiles The World as I See It Yasuaki Okamoto s children, my older brother represent themes of what I feel at the time. and I used to draw, and I often I think the motifs that come out from those imitated his drawings. I knew themes are metaphorical, while still leaving A about the League before mov- some of the interpretation up to the viewer’s ing to New York, and when I arrived I took individual thoughts and personal feelings a class to satisfy my curiosity. I believed I about the piece. could find motivation from the others here, Sylvia Wald and Po Kim are the artists I so I decided to enroll full time as an inter- adore and also my close friends. I decided to national student. paint “The Times” after Sylvia passed away When I look back at all the paintings in 2011. The theme is “The Times” that we I’ve done, from the start I’ve always painted shared, so there are many of our memories living things (animals, plants, or insects) to in the paintings. create colorful pieces. I don’t know if I’ve I’m concerned with social and environ- consciously chosen living things for the mental issues and you can see those themes color they bring, as it all comes rather natu- in my work, but I’m not trying to describe rally as I paint. I’m also not satisfied with what is right or wrong. What is important explaining that I paint them simply because for me is to describe what is happening on I enjoy their colorful presence. I myself am our planet – past and present. I think that trying to understand these choices more when viewing any work of art people are deeply. moved and reflect upon emotional experi- I once painted a piece that, instead of ences and things they have seen, so that showing things from nature, only depicted people viewing the same painting can have man-made objects. I called it “Sign.” It completely different thoughts and feelings felt like a protest against something in the about it. In most of my work, I’ve painted world, though I’m not exactly sure what. I what I’m concerned with plus “something” suppose that meant that the living things which I felt and experienced at the time. I had painted—the animals, insects, and www.yasuaki.info plants—in turn represented some icons of Yasuaki Okamoto, No Littering, 2012, Oil on nature. Based on that, perhaps my paintings canvas, 30 x 40 inches 4 LINES from the League profiles Psychology, Culture and Art A Fruitful Journey oming from Pakistan and seeing the world through travel exposed C me to a unique mix of eastern and western cultures. This led to conflicting values which I have often done battle with and which, in turn, led me to art. Paint- ing is meditative. It transports me to an unknown, magical place where time stops and the only things that exist are the smell of paint, the movement of the brushes, and the focus of the mind on the canvas creating its own reality. Art and culture combine to become an expression, and if you can visualize your thoughts and feelings you can attempt to articulate them. As the eldest child, I had responsibilities from a young age which, coupled with my father’s strong mentorship, made me feel that anything was possible. Unknown to me were my parents’ own talents in painting and drawing. My father created a portrait of my mother which I remember to this day because of its intricacy and how it captured her soul. The loss of my father when I was only 13 was perhaps the starting point of my desire to achieve something great. I studied fine arts and psychology in college and successfully completed a PhD. After earning my doctorate, I taught at one of the top business schools in Pakistan while pur- suing my passion for art in my spare time. Art and psychology have a significant link due to the nature of human perception; both leave an open door to interpretation. During this time, as I trained business ex- ecutives to be better leaders, I came across an art exhibition which inspired me to take my passion to a new level. Soon after, I was offered a position in Dubai as a professor, but declined the opportunity. I realized I couldn’t detach from my artmaking and that if I didn’t conjure up the courage im- mediately and give it my all, I might never. I began with watercolors and poster col- ors and moved on to oils. Currently most of my work is in acrylics. This medium speaks the loudest because we are both impatient. Since acrylic dries fairly quickly, it pushes 6 LINES from the League Psychology, Culture and Art A Fruitful Journey Qinza Najm me to make rapid decisions and rely on my others’ realities by pushing the ego out and let the fear of pleasing others be the guiding instincts. I still use oil from time to time letting the love and empathy in. force in my work; to be genuine and have and I draw, paint, and use found objects. I I am inspired by the human mind, by the strength to bear rejection and criticism. construct and deconstruct collages to give Pablo Picasso, Sufism, Rumi, and Shake- One cannot make everyone happy; it is best them new life and meaning.