Speaking of Art Blog

I drove to the Brauer Museum today on Valparaiso University’s campus to see the new Frank Dudley exhibit.  It is beautiful, all 55 pieces of work.  I’ve seen several Dudley exhibits at the Brauer Museum over the years.  Frank Dudley is somewhat of a legend in the art world here at the southern tip of Lake Michigan.  That’s because Dudley spent the last FOUR DECADES of his art career painting the Indiana Dunes exclusively and he was a prolific painter!  There are lots of lots of his dunescape artworks out there in private collections in the greater Chicago/NW Indiana area, so gathering them together for an exhibit is not difficult around here.  Each exhibit is a little different with some overlap.  I now have my favorites and search with anticipation in each gallery to see if one of them is included.

This exhibit in particular showcases not only rooms full of his iconic dunescapes, but also some of his sculptures and his still life paintings.  But one feature of this exhibit really stood out for me – double and triple paintings of the exact same view, just rendered on different days.  Oh my, what a treat to compare them as they hang side by side (by side).  You can really get a feel for the kind of day it was, and also how the ever changing sand dunes and dune grasses shift over time.

Frank Dudley was a master colorist.  I kept noticing how he’d add drama to a scene by placing complementary colors right next to each other in the focal area.  He also masterfully subdued the colors as they receded in space, yet kept their color quality fresh and believable.  Sometimes I stood in front of a painting and would ask, “How did he do that?”  I’ve done a number of dunescapes myself, and I’ve come to hold great respect for artists who are adept at rendering the color of sand in all kinds of light.   Dudley’s dunescapes embody that quality in spades!

Frank Dudley’s exhibits have always inspired me, but isn’t that what legendary, larger than life masterful artists are supposed to do?  I’m so glad I took the time to see this show.  If you are anywhere near the Valparaiso University campus and want to see the exhibit, it is there through Dec. 10, 2017.  Admission is free.  And thanks to Gregg Hertzlieb, the Brauer Museum curator, for again putting together a wonderful Dudley exhibit, and for showing us anew why the Indiana Dunes are truly an artist’s perpetual creative playground.