DuBasky’s Oversize Work Focuses on Animal, Plant Life Along Silk Road
by Vanessa LaFaso
Impressionism has always been limited to the “less is more” philosophy. Small brush strokes and pure unmixed color are used to achieve light and form. Valentina DuBasky’s exhibit “Riverbirds and Rainforests” at the National Academy of Sciences flirts with impressionism in her representation of ancient cave drawings based on her travels to Southeast Asia.
DuBasky’s work focuses chiefly on animal and plant life found along the Silk Road route. The sacred crane of the Himalayas, for example, is a repetitive theme in almost all of her paintings, and her renderings of plant life appear to be predominantly aquatic, such as reeds and willows often found on a riverbank.
Each painting, however, is much larger than the plant or aquatic life DuBasky depicts. Many of the canvasses are massive in size, giving the artist plenty of room to
experiment with third-person perspective. For example, in “Pacific Current,” small and nearly microscopic aquatic creatures appear on two giant canvasses attached together. The birds are standing on the shore above, so viewers have a sense of being in the water as they look up at the birds.
Yet perspective is not the most interesting aspect of DuBasky’s work. Her use of short, horizontal brush strokes mimics the impressionistic styles of the 17th century, however, they are not necessarily used to demonstrate light and shadow. Instead, the minimalist strokes give us a sense of motion. “Lake Site with Crane” teems with background images of smaller birds as a crane stands on a riverbank. The short strokes seem to mimic the wind that carries the small birds in the distance, with the bent reeds near the crane further supporting this idea.
But is it too much motion? Many of DuBasky’s paintings are almost dizzying to look at because she includes so many elements in one work. Random geometric shapes, quick brush strokes, and a multitude of background and foreground images with no discernible horizon line do not leave any open space on the canvas. And because her work is meant to imitate the simplicity of cave drawings, DuBasky is forced to give her subjects such large proportions to mimic this organic setting. The effect is comparable to viewing a pointillist painting (whereby a picture is constructed from dots of pure color that blend into recognizable shapes from a distance) but with the canvas held up to your face—certainly staring at just the tiny dots would give anyone a headache. Yet in DuBasky’s work, we do not have the choice to pull back to view the larger image because her work is so large to begin with.
The impressionistic nature of DuBasky’s work, however, is again evident in the subtlety of some of the smaller-size paintings as well as in her choice of color. For example, in “Mountain Site,” two birds appear against the backdrop of a dissipated mountain. One might almost miss the image if closer examination was not taken, but the faint glow is a surprising feast for the eyes. In addition, “Forest Site with Stags and Cranes” is a menagerie of plant and animal life painted in deep gold and brown hues. Her cranes, too, often appear in rich reds or oranges against blue- and sometimes purple-feathered riverbirds.
However, DuBasky’s use of texture in her paintings diverts from traditional impressionistic style. Instead of alluding to depth and substance, DuBasky uses wax to lift the paint off the canvas, and in some instances, her canvas is made of linen. The rough lines in the linen material and the wax give viewers the effect of the uneven surfaces found in the original cave paintings that inspired her style.
The texture in combination with the lack of proportion and perspective adequately mimics such primitive art. Whether or not it was intentional, DuBasky provides us with a unique blending of high art and primeval expressions of scenery and wildlife.
“Riverbirds and Rainforests: Paintings by Valentina DuBasky” runs through Nov. 11 at the National Academy of Sciences, 2100 C St., NW. For more information, please call (202) 334-2436 or visit www.NationalAcademies.org/arts.
Vanessa LaFaso is an editorial intern for The Washington Diplomat.
“Altered Landscape” examines man’s impact on the environment
Artistic renderings of the natural environment typically resemble romanticized images of beauty and tranquility. This is not the case, however, in “The Altered Landscape: The Carol Franc Buck Collection,” on view at the Rotunda Gallery of the National Academy of Sciences.
The photographers in the exhibit challenge the traditional view of environmental beauty with images of altered topography that resulted from industrialization and man’s impact on the natural environment. Some of the images include depictions of dilapidated housing developments, mining sites and military grounds.
Many of the pieces introduce an undeniable irony between the setting pictured and the reality of the conditions. “The Blue Lagoon, Iceland” by Virginia Beahan and Laura McPhee, for example, is a photo of a power plant complete with billowing smoke set on a body of water, in which swimmers innocently wade.
Patrick Nagatani juxtaposes a panoramic photo of a pristine desert skyline and landscape being held up against the backdrop of a Navaho residence. The residences resemble those in Mexico that are typically referred to as “Cardboard City,” ejecting viewers into the unattractive reality of such conditions despite postcard representations of an idealistic land.
The irony is further expressed by the mere aesthetic appeal of some of the artists’ work. Just as we enjoy the traditional landscape art for its color or light, the works here, which intend to present the ugly side of humankind’s impact on the planet, are nonetheless visually appealing. For example, “Nickel Tailings #31” by Edward Burtynsky is an aerial shot of molten metal as it flows through and over land. The ground itself is darkened and the lava is lit with fiery reds and oranges—a breathtaking scene both for its beauty and environmental horror.
All of the pieces in the exhibit demonstrate the dilemma of our modern existence. Each photographer captures man’s planetary desecration and brings to the forefront the need for realism in our otherwise environmentally oblivious existence.
“The Altered Landscape: The Carol Franc Buck Collection” runs through Oct. 15 at the National Academy of Sciences , 2100 C St., NW. For more information, call (202) 334-2436 or visit www.NationalAcademies.org/arts.
— Vanessa LaFaso
