New Gallery exhibit features self portraits

When Fine Arts graduate student Bob Coates feels bad, he paints portraits of himself in a coffin. When he feels good, he paints himself with the sun rising behind him. Most of the over 30 self-portraits in the exhibit capture a fleeting moment or emotion in the artists' lives. "In my self-portraits I relay self-feeling all the time," Coates said, while pointing to a portrait of himself in a medieval martyr's robe. "At that time I was feeling martyred." College junior Anne Katzen said that her self portraits really captivate her feelings at the time she paints them. "There's something contemplative about paintings," she said. "When I paint, I show my emotion at that instant." "I paint on a whim. I do what I feel at the moment," College sophomore Adam King said. "I think it's the most sincere method, intellectualizing gets in the way of emotion." Other artists said they try to consciously stray away from reality to better convey their message. "I look at the emotion, not the person," said College junior Nadine Johnson. "When you deviate from reality, you gain in emotion. That's what I'm trying to do." Students at the show's opening said they found the portraits very interesting. "I really like the paintings," said College freshman Melanie Jay. "The artists are incredible. You really get a sense of how they view themselves." Three more shows will be featured at the gallery next semester. "Artists and Children" will pair an painter to a child from Philadelphia and exhibit their work. A series of drawings and studies leading up to a final work will be the theme of "Process and Product." The last show of the year will feature works by one artist as selected by the gallery. The exhibit was organized by College junior Jessica Winegar, director of the gallery, and College senior Evan Bernstein, curating director, and funded by the Social Planning and Events Committee. "Our primary goal is to provide space for any Penn person to show their work," Bernstein said. "From The Outside Looking In" will run for several weeks in the Houston Hall Bowl Room.

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