Garden Court
Mike Glier
with Benches by Jenny Holzer
Garden Court: Summer (oil on canvas) 1994
Mike Glier
New York
Mike Glier - his full name is Michael Andrew Glier - was born in 1953. He began his undergraduate career as a psychology major, then however turned 1975 to art studies at the Rhode Iceland School of design. In 1976 he got the Bachelor of art (BA) of William College and in 1979 a Master of art (MA) of the Hunter College in New York. Mike Glier teaches art at William's College. Mike Glier is a great-grandson of Robert Carl Glier, who was from Untersachsenberg (Klingenthal) in Saxony. Since 1984, he is married to Jenny Holzer, a world-famous artist, with who he cooperates in many projects. They have a daughter Lili. Glier's first works were abstract wood constructions, explorations of color and form. Wanting to move beyond a formal approach, however, and searching for a way to express social and political concerns in his art, he abandoned sculpture and took up drawing. He first made chalk drawings on his studio walls that he would photograph, then erase, drawing again on the same wall dozens of times. Glier has executed posters for the benefit of specific political causes and has participated, for example, in such efforts as Artists Call Against U.S. Intervention in Central America (1984). On September 14, 1996 opened at the Williams College Museum of Art an exihibition by Mike Glier, assistant professor of art at Williams College. The exhibition presents an installation, that creates the illusion of a walled garden. Four long rectangular canvases, each depicting a season, represent the garden walls. The exhibition also includes four other works from the series, as well as two benches, engraved with text, by artist Jenny Holzer, who collaborated with Glier on this project. The description of the impressive pictures are taken of the web site of Williams College by courtesy of the artist and Williams College Museum of Art. |
Garden Court
Mike Glier
with Benches by Jenny Holzer
Garden Court: Summer (oil on canvas) 1994
At first the painted garden seems idyllic - cool shadows play upon gray walls, birds perch on branches and ledges, a variety of flowers and vegetation grows untamed over the weathered surfaces. We are lulled into a state of quiet reflection and appreciation of nature. But this calming effect is promptly shattered. As we look it becomes evident that the shadows and textures are splattered blood, bullet holes, and shrapnel scars. This quiet setting has at another time been the scene of violence and carnage.
Garden Court: Spring (oil on canvas) 1995
The power of Garden Court lies in the unexpected shift from pleasure to horror. In an instant the imaginary chirping of birds is replaced by the din of machine guns and firing squads; the wildly beautiful vegetation by mental pictures of murdered soldiers and civilans. The bright flowers and birds serve as jarring counterpoint to the walls' mute evocation of terror.
Garden Court: Winter (oil on canvas) 1995
Garden Court, a publication produced in conjunction with the exhibtion, features full-color reproductions as well as texts by writers, artists and activists who were invited to share their reactions to the exhibition. Among the contributors are Kiki Smith, Sol Lewitt, Lucy R. Lippard, Tom Otterness, Jenny Holzer, Ann Hamilton, and Doug Ashford.
|