A pastel array of artwork lines the walls of UB's Anderson Art Gallery this fall, featuring the works of the Albright-Knox Art School of the Buffalo Fine Arts Academy graduate Catherine Catanzaro Keonig, whose work spans 60 fruitful years.
Created primarily with the use of egg tempera on panel, or pastels on paper, Koenig's art is soft and soothing. The light-colored palette of peach, pale green, sky blue and white form the majority of her artwork. Each piece is carefully framed in coordinating wood, or silver and gold frames.
Making egg tempera is a complicated process in which the artist prepares the supports, the grounds - a mixture of water, glue and whiting - and the paint, which consists of pigments and pure egg yolk.
Evenly laid with a delicate hand, Koenig's work is peaceful and carries a general theme throughout. Most of her pieces incorporate either a duplicated black hat, broken eggshells or seashells. The exceptions are her portraits of nude, yet tastefully portrayed men, and models of torsos.
The quiet, serene and bright hallway of the gallery's second level enhances Koenig's work, giving life to each painted still life.
Soft brushstrokes, carefully placed, make Koenig's artwork very realistic and lifelike, though some of her subject matter is a bit abstract.
Polished seashells stacked upon one another in "Hard Drink" appear almost as gumballs in a glass beaker. The variety of shades used is eye-catching, and the work demonstrates skillful use of the egg tempera.
Other artistic trademarks of Koenig's include the idea of transference, in which she includes not only the well-crafted image of an object, but also a rough sketch of it. Another is her remarkable ability of copying the image of tape or tacks onto her work, making it look as if her painting is hanging within itself.
A standout piece in her works, "Easter Parade," is a praise of violet in which purple flowers don a torso.
"The Last Goodbye" portrays two opposing still lives set beneath separate arches. One includes the popular dreary black hat with an eggshell atop, while the other is a beautiful seashell and the bloom of a plant. The contrast appears to be of life and death.
The most stunning piece within the collection is "Eve Monument," created in 1995 with egg tempera on panel. Imaginative and surreal, it features smooth rocks balancing one on top of the other's edge. The use of a column and white, puffy clouds creates a tranquil feeling, and little prisms of rainbow light surround the harmonious image.
Her human portraits, generally held in private collection, sometimes appear in diptychs, which are single pieces of art separated into two or more sections.
Some are simple figure drawings, while others, like the diptych "Adams's Hat," are metaphorically loaded. This work culminates Koenig's favorite subjects and draws them into one setting.
A naked couple, seated separately, gazes toward a moonlit sky. Their peach bodies reveal flesh-covered ribs, the woman wearing the man's black hat, while he appears saddened. Seashells and polished rocks decorate the scenery, and one can only speculate the significance of the items brought together.
Throughout the gallery appear common themes of isolation, growth, transformation and peace; Koenig's artwork reveals a very personal commentary on her life. The transition of style and progression of her expertise is also noted in her long-spanning artistic career.
The UB Anderson Art Gallery is located on Martha Jackson Place, off of Kenmore Avenue near Niagara Falls Boulevard. Gallery hours are Wednesday-Saturday 11 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m.-5 p.m. Admission is free.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
