artist
Princeton exhibit spans a decade of Millstone Township
artist’s work
By alison granito
Staff Writer
VERONICA YANKOWSKI “The Nap,” which Eileen Kennedy-Dyne painted in 1994, is an example of her earlier work that is included in her latest exhibit.
Millstone Township painter Eileen Kennedy-Dyne is nothing if not ambitious in her art.
"My art seems to say a lot of different things to a lot of different people," she said. "But the one thing that is consistent is that people almost always find it interesting.
"The work takes on a lot of subjects — religion, the role of women in society. Even though there are serious issues present there, you can always find something humorous if you look closely," Kennedy-Dyne said in a recent interview.
Her latest exhibit, "Penti-menti: A Decade of Paintings — Magic Realist Works by Eileen Kennedy-Dyne," is in progress at the Princeton Theological Seminary’s Erdman Art Gallery. The exhibit will run until Jan. 24.
PHOTOS BY VERONICA YANKOWSKI Eileen Kennedy-Dyne prepares paints for a session of work at her Perrineville, Millstone Township, studio.
The term pentimenti refers to any of the initial phases of a painting (for example, a drawing or underpainting) that show through the uppermost, surface levels of paint, according to a press release on the show from the gallery.
"Pentimenti is an Italian artistic term that refers to the phenomenon of earlier images that begin to appear in a painting with age," Kennedy-Dyne said.
"In the days of old, in the course of creating a painting, sometimes an artist would change the position of an arm, a hand, or even an entire figure by simply painting over it."
Since oil paint becomes "more and more transparent with age, sometimes the painted over image will begin to appear in the painting, like a ghost. Because my paintings have many layers of meaning, and some of those meanings change or new ones appear as the paintings age, I thought it would be an appropriate title for a show," she said.
Artist Eileen Kennedy-Dyne’s painting “In and Out” takes on the role of women in society.
According to Ken-nedy-Dyne, although many influences are evident in her work, she has been particularly affected by the naturalist school of painting, prevalent in the 15th century, rather than contemporary realism.
"For those who require a label or an ‘ism’ to interpret art, so far the best match for my work is magic realism," she said.
"The ideas for my work are completely intuitive — they just pop into my head; however, there are many steps between the initial idea and the fully executed painting," she said, noting that she does an "endless" number of drawings and studies for each work.
The Princeton exhibit is especially significant for Kennedy-Dyne because it is a retrospective of her work over the past decade.
"This show is special to me because it contains one piece for every year from the past 10 years," she said. "A lot of these works have never been seen together before."
According to Kennedy-Dyne, the most recent pieces in the show are narrative in their nature. Those pieces have been particularly influenced by medieval illuminated manuscripts, which are extremely detailed, she said.
"I use these elements to reinforce the narrative nature of the works and intensify their magical quality. All of my work weds elements of still life and the figure into many layered narratives that probe the complexities of contemporary life through an overtly female lens," she said.
The newest piece in the show, "In the House of Martha and Mary," is a large oil on canvas work. The painting shows an age-old Biblical theme through a contemporary lens and "asks the question, ‘Where do women fit in today?’" said Kennedy-Dyne.
"In some ways, it is a religious painting since it deals with the theme of Christ in the house of Martha and Mary. It also raises the philosophical question of what women are supposed to be doing," she said.
Despite the serious subject matter, Kennedy-Dyne described the process of creating the painting as lighthearted.
"I had the daughters of two friends pose, one who is in high school and one who is in junior high. We really had fun with that one," she said.
In addition to the Princeton exhibit, Kennedy-Dyne recently landed a commitment from another prestigious venue to show her work. Later this year she is slated to give a show at the Edward Hopper House in Nyack, N.Y.
A 1977 graduate of the Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, N.Y., Kennedy-Dyne has exhibited up and down the East Coast, often showing her work in New York City and Philadelphia.
Stints as an art reviewer for the Jersey Journal and a teaching career in drawing and painting have helped to pay the bills while she pursues her art career.
Gallery hours for the Princeton exhibit are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 2:30-6:30 p.m. on Sunday. The Erdman Gallery is at 20 Library Place in Princeton.