SXU Gallery Presents "World Without Time: Portraits of the Artist's Mother"
Saint Xavier University (SXU) will host "World Without Time: Portraits of the Artist's Mother," the work of Chicago artist Ellen Holtzblatt, from October 30 through November 20, 2023.
"World Without Time: Portraits of the Artist's Mother" explores the profound connections between the physical and the spiritual, embodying the power and vulnerability of mind, soul, and spirit through the ever-present passage of time. The exhibition highlights portraits of Holtzblatt's 100-year-old mother, who lived with her periodically during the pandemic.
The titles for Holtzblatt's portraits come from the biblical text "Song of Songs," poetry that is both explicitly sensual and metaphorically physical, describing the intensity of the relationship between lovers. Despite the societal disconnect between the language of sexual longing and the physicality of an elderly woman, the titles were chosen to convey the truth that love and desire and the need for human contact and touch are universal and not limited by age – representative of the emotional and physical loneliness and spiritual yearnings Holtzblatt witnessed through her mother during the pandemic.
Holtzblatt has been creating since she was a child, with some of her earliest childhood memories involving making art.
"When I was two years old, I swallowed half a paintbrush, and it has become part of my personal mythology that I literally internalized art. I used to draw on my homework, tests, clothing and arms – anything within reach," said Holtzblatt.
At 13, she took a figure drawing class at the Art Institute and had her first realization that art could be her future profession. She earned a BFA from the School of the Art Institute but lost confidence in herself partially due to lack of support from her family, so she did not pursue a professional path in art for many years. Holtzblatt earned advanced degrees in art therapy and special education, working in those fields but always making art personally. Around 15 years ago, Holtzblatt made the decision to make art full-time and return to a professional path.
Holtzblatt's art is very personal to her. She finds inspiration in both transcendent experiences and the ordinary, from earth-shattering, life-changing events to savoring a cup of coffee in the morning – anything that brings her deeper into herself and the universe, as long as she takes notice.
"I draw inspiration from what I observe in the world (both beautiful and difficult), from people who are very present in my life, memory, and internal feelings and thoughts. My work is most successful when the external and internal worlds converge. Much of my art has abstract elements, but I tend to find inspiration in the observable world. I love oil paint because it breathes and moves. I prefer media [such as oil and ink] that I cannot completely control. I want my work to surprise me," said Holtzblatt. "I layer the paint until parts of the painting become obliterated. I wipe away paint and leave behind ghost images on the surface. I use bristle brushes, some very old and worn, that make marks that I cannot control."
Holtzblatt enjoys having her work presented in a university setting and finds she always learns something new about her imagery or process through students' questions, reflections and observations.
"In my experience, it is the intimate and emotive quality of my work that connects most deeply with others. It is my hope that the more authentic and open I am in sharing my life artistically, the more available my work will become to others to see parts of themselves and their lives in the imagery process," said Holtzblatt.
Holtzblatt plans to continue to paint portraits of her mother and has also been returning to painting landscapes, enjoying the gesture, atmosphere, emotive qualities and abstraction of the natural world. In addition, she's been working on large ink drawings of a bombed train in Poland from WWII and in doing so has been connecting to her ancestry and finding wholeness in destruction.
The SXU Gallery is open Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday and Thursday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, contact the Gallery at 773-298-3081.