Southside Pride

Going to see art with a friend is fun, and a cheap date. All galleries and most museums are free. My friend Fabrice and I went to see Mary Esch: The Three Questions at the Franklin Art Works. Esch’s new work is a suite of prints based on a short story by Leo Tolstoy. The central theme of the story is that as a queen looks selfishly for power, she overlooks humanity, a very timely theme. I have known and really enjoyed Esch’s work for many years. Fab had never seen it, or the Franklin Art Works. What happened was a very interesting dialogue.

On one wall are almost 100 sketches—preliminary drawings for the prints—done on computer, charcoal and pencil. These drawings are layered with tracing paper drawings. Clearly Esch is exposing the process behind her work, showing the choices she is making for composition and subject matter by flipping images and repositioning them.

I find it fascinating to look into the mind of another artist. Fab was not easily impressed and did not understand the necessity of showing these. He did say he liked the lady on the horse with bunny ears. A truly great drawing.

The prints or etchings of The Three Questions I found simple and beautiful. The black line is swift, sure and clean. The background is tinted a light and elegant beige. Each etching is intimate and concise. The composition is unique in that Esch draws interesting abstract landscapes to keep the picture frame balanced.

Fab made the astute observation that Esch is borrowing heavily from religious pamphlet illustrations of Jesus for the hermit character, children’s illustration for the queen, and sumo wrestlers for the would-be attackers of the naked guy. Also the queen doesn’t look like the same person in each print.

All artists appropriate images. but doing it more subtly and more cohesivelywould make it more Esch’s work and less someone else’s. Or perhaps she could be more blatant about the disjointed appropriation, thus enhancing her already witty narrative.

Fab pointed to the etching of the naked guy being stabbed by two guys in sumo wrestler diapers, and said acerbically, “When you stick a knife in someone does it look like an explosion?” Esch had drawn the insertion point of the knife in star shape, similar to the cartoon style k-pow. Although perhaps not consistent with the level of realism in this body of work, I loved this comic strip reference. On some level this must be how it feels to be stabbed. I really enjoy Esch’s sophisticated sense of humor that runs through this series.

On the back wall are a series of prints done with color. Fab really liked these. They are the same line drawings of The Three Questions, but with color laid on top. I found these a little unresolved. The color seems placed on top of the drawings, without much integration. Esch is a master painter and it would be good to see her color and depth emerge in her prints.

The best work of the show is Esch’s mirror triptychs in the women’s and men’s bathrooms. These are breathtaking. Fabrice and I agreed on that. Esch has etched detailed drawing into the mirrors from behind. Along the edge of the mirrors are picturesque renderings of men, women and children in gentle rain showers. The central figure in the triptych of mirrors is a baby elephant with its trunk up, playfully squirting water. Lovely. The mirrors are a permanent installation at the Franklin Art Works.

Mary Esch: The Three Questions is up through March 22. Franklin Art Works, 1021 E. Franklin Ave., Mpls. 612-872-7494.