The University of Olivet will present Contemporary Cubism by Patrick Dengate on Nov. 7 – Dec. 5 with an artist’s reception on Nov. 9, 5:30-7:30 p.m. The exhibition and reception will be held at the Kresge Foundation Art Gallery, located in the Riethmiller Blackman Art Building at The University of Olivet. The gallery is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Admission is free and open to the public.
Dengate has held a lifelong passion for art. He studied lithography and intaglio printmaking techniques during his undergraduate career before discovering woodcuts. Combined with a natural love for woodworking, Dengate focused his work in woodcut prints for nearly 20 years before transitioning to painting. His work using oil paints on canvas or panel allows a limitless use of color, something that was more complicated and constrained in his printmaking. Today, Dengate also enjoys building small, wooden boats.
“Much of my painting in recent years I loosely call cubist, in that it’s composed of intersecting geometric shapes which describe planes and forms,” Dengate said. “These forms result in abstracted, yet still recognizable, images. Working this way has freed me from the constraints of accurate perspective and color, and instead I use repetitive shapes and color that sometimes migrate ‘outside of the lines’ to depict a landscape or a collection of objects. The overall composition evolves as I work into not just a loose description of a scene, but also as a kind of story.”
The arts play a vital role in fostering creativity and learning at The University of Olivet by promoting personal growth, self-expression, appreciation and individual and social responsibility. Annually, the College features artists, exhibitions and performances that reflect the diversity of the arts. View the full The University of Olivet arts events calendar.
For more information about the exhibit, contact Gary Wertheimer, professor of art, at 269-749-7627 or gbwertheimer@uolivet.edu.
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