Stanford Faculty Exhibit

Enrique Chagoya's "Illegal Alien's Guide to Greater America", at the Cantor Arts Center

Thirteen of Stanford University's art faculty are showing work from their own studios at the Cantor Arts Center in Palo Alto. I'm a fan of Enrique Chagoya's work, but I wasn't familiar with the other artists. Each artist was represented by a small selection of works, a photo of their studio and a short bio.

I'm embarrassed to say this was my introduction to the work of Matt Kahn. When I saw his pieces in this show it was obvious that the artist had spent a lot of time doing a lot of thinking and plenty of practice. The skill level and originality are off the charts. He's been an influential player in Bay Area art & design for 60 years (where have I been?) Kahn's paintings in this show were on canvas that was inconceivably stretched over curving forms and painted with immaculate precision. And the colors - each painting is a seminar in color theory.



"Cradle" (above) is two overlapping panels painted in shades of grey, the lower panel with an unseen, angled edge reflecting a red glow. Close-up, mid-range, and distant views are all rewarded by unique aspects of the work. A true masterpiece. Detail below:



I noticed that Matt Kahn is giving a free lecture on Sunday, Nov.. 8th, 2-3pm, at the Cantor Arts Center.

The faculty show, "From Their Studios", is up through the end of the year. CalTrain takes you right from SF to the Stanford campus and a shuttle bus will drop you off near the museum (it's an easy walk, too.) The museum is free and open to the public. They're open Wednesday through Sunday 11am - 5am.