Arts

South Ender Mittelman Exhibits at Babson

by Julie Walker
Wednesday Oct 8, 2014

Michael Mittelman has been working with computers for over 20 years, but real communication is the key to his art. As the New York City -born South End artist, sculptor and educator admitted in a recent interview, "the computer can never truly replicate or even understand the human essence." Even so, Mittelman's college study-an undergraduate degree studying studio art at Wesleyan University and a master's degree working in interrelated media at the Massachusetts College of Art- demonstrates a solid knowledge of and attention to both traditional and contemporary forms. Such a striking synthesis of analog and digital styles can be seen in his latest exhibit, "You're right. That would be awesome: Sculpture and drawing by Michael Mittelman," now visible online and on display in Hollister Hall at the Babson Art Gallery through October 15.

While the exhibit may be modest in size-four sculptures, three fumages (smoke drawings),five inks on Mylar and a laser-engraved work, its themes and technique reflect the balanced perspective that characterizes his output. Mittelman-who taught at Massachusetts College of Art and Emerson College and whose work has been shown at such area venues as the List Visual Arts Center at M.I.T. , the DeCordova Museum and the art Space in New Haven- alludes to that perspective in describing these and other pieces like them as "the intersection of art and technology." The technology-friendly artist actually gave prominence to a computer rendering of hands in a 1997 thesis. In speaking of the creation of his pieces, Mittelman observed, "There's a lot of software involved, but at the end of the day, perception is still analog." Acknowledging Rodin as a major influence- with regard to the ink on mylar drawings as well as the sculptures in the exhibit, he maintained, "I'm trying to bring reality back into the digital realm."

Mittelman is particularly conveying that reality in his hand sculptures. Noting John Singer Sargent's ongoing careful attention to faces and hands in his paintings, he singled out the latter for his attention. "The face is more obvious," he contended, eager to focus on the potential for rich ambiguity in hand depictions. That eagerness has a long history. "I have been interested in the vocabulary and expressiveness of hand and gesture since my first figure drawing class in college," Mittelman admits. His precise technique-one which Albrecht Durer ,who painted "Praying Hands," would likely admire- can be seen to particularly strong effect in the downward positioned hand of "ortho.oo4" and the upward positioned hand of "ortho.008." Mittelman acknowledged a blend of styles in such pieces. "There's a modernist slant to the materials," he said, "and a 19th century expressionism in the hands." Asked if he has ever drawn the expressive hands of dancers in ballet, he replied, "That is an interesting thought. Ballet might be a source of material."

Besides hand and gesture, Mittleman sometimes finds expression in words- words conveyed in his work rather than in conversation. He describes such words as "some thoughts that have come to me but remain un-said, instead they are hand drawn on mylar with ink." Mittleman has centered some words in fumages, works made by the smoke of a candle or a kerosene lamp on paper or canvas. Such exhibit fumages as "me neither" and "but you didn't" call to mind purposely ambiguous Roy Lichtenstein drawings in which words take on a surreal effect of their own. Over the years, he has experienced conflicting feelings in the process of achieving such effects. On the one hand, he mused, "Most of the text pieces are the witty responses I never got around to saying in person." One the other, he countered, "I've always actually been afraid of using text in my work. Text takes away ambiguity (something that he prizes)." By contrast, there should be no ambiguity about Mittelman's considerable and wide-ranging talent.

A resident of the South end since 2002, Mittleman opened his own studio there in 2005. In 2003, he founded ASPECT: The Chronicle of New Media Art. Annually he participates in the fall and spring South End Open Studios.

You're right. That would be awesome. Sculpture and drawing by Michael Mittelman, Hollister Hall, Babson Art Gallery, Wellesley through October 15. 781-230-5888 or www.babsonarts.org