Van Gogh mutilated his left ear in the course of his first attack of dementia. While Renoir was at the peak of his career, he was battling arthritis. Michelangelo caused irreparable damage to himself (physically and emotionally) from his work on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Even Monet, the founder of impressionism, suffered a hard blow, both critically and financially, at the first impressionist group show the world had seen.
The list goes on to include a number of artists whose work barely sparked the subtlest of interests until centuries after their deaths.
Meet Jonathan Gundlach. Gundlach hasn't faced severe trauma and tribulation throughout his career, but the stage wasn't exactly set for him. A professional artist for the past 15 years, Gundlach is the son of a Lutheran minister and was born colorblind. In addition to his numerous exhibitions and private commissions, Gundlach has been the manager of billing and budgeting services at a local advertising and design firm for the past six years.
Gundlach's colorblindness provides a thought-provoking aspect to his work as an artist, especially when combined with his powerful use of color.
This year, the Wisconsin Painters and Sculptors selected one of Gundlach's paintings to be exhibited in their high-profile biannual event, the Wisconsin Biennial, held from September 12 to October 11.
"I choose my pallet by intuition," said Gundlach. "There are certain colors that I can't pick up too easily, such as discerning yellow from green or purple from blue, so I keep a list of colors that I've mixed. The color choices help create a visual or thematic disjointedness in perspective, scene and visual tone, and are often key elements to provide an unsettling, surreal or dreamlike quality."
Gundlach's selected piece for the Wisconsin Biennial, "Shoveller Series: Untitled 3," is a 32-by-34 foot, oil on canvas piece from a collection that is largely narrative, portraying things to which Gundlach, as the artist, does not have the answers. The main subject in the piece is a woman outdoors, behind a fence, crouched over with a shovel, burying something. A pair of feet can be seen on the other side of the fence near the top right corner of the piece.
According to Gundlach, the piece "shows that we all have something to hide, from others and ourselves. The feet show that people often see and know when we're trying to conceal something."
The piece to be displayed, "Shoveller Series: Untitled 3," was selected from an exhibit of Gundlach's that is currently running until the end of September at another prominent showing in the state, the Wisconsin Arts Board Gallery, in Madison.
Photographer Joel Richter, a coworker of Gundlach's at an area advertising agency and also a son of a Lutheran minister, has his work on display at the Wisconsin Arts Board Gallery as well. Richter's work compliments Gundlach's by creating photographic images of landscapes, lights, objects and figures that are made enigmatic through the use of a variety of techniques. The effects used by Richter create painterly qualities in the photos. New Wisconsin Arts Board member and Wisconsin Lt. Governor, Barbara Lawton, will soon show pieces of Richter's work in her office gallery located in the state capital building.
Additional information on the gallery showings and the artists' works can be found at www.jonathangundlach.com and www.joelrichter.com.
