Artist Peter Saul’s recent paintings, Man with Secret, 2016, and Buddy, 2018, will be the focus of the next Art Up Close! at the Museum Education Center, on Wednesday, Feb. 20. 

Presented by Patrick Jones, Coordinator of Drawing and Lecturer of Art and Art History at the School of Art and Design, College of Creative Arts, West Virginia University, the program begins at 5:30 p.m. in the Museum Education Center Grand Hall, which is located near the corner of Patteson Drive and Morrill Way at the Evansdale Campus North Entrance.  The event is free and open to the public.

Jones’ presentation, “Phenomenology of Satire: Making the Comic Monumental,” will discuss how Saul uses comic imagery, scale and color to engage the body of the viewer in order to enhance the psychological and emotional affects that further his satirical agenda within his works.  The discussion will focus upon the legacy of Pop Art’s use of comic imagery as a vehicle to address larger concerns in society and engage a broad audience, and the way in which Saul’s recent works provoke an ambiguity of meaning while physically engaging the viewer through color, scale and painterly technique.  

A native of Florida, Jones earned his M.A. in Art History and his M.F.A. in Painting from West Virginia University where he currently teaches a variety of courses in both disciplines, including contemporary art history and figure drawing. Both his studio practice and his art historical research focus upon the body as a site of meaning, interpretation and protest.

Art Up Close! events are held through the academic year and present WVU faculty and guest artists from various disciplines discussing a work of art from the perspectives of their disciplines. The events are co-sponsored by the Friends of the Museum, a membership group for people who enjoy the arts and social, educational and cultural activities revolving around art.

Parking is available in short-term lot ST-1, located at the intersection of Fine Arts Drive and Morrill Way.

For more information about the Art Up Close! program, contact the Art Museum of WVU at (304) 293-7790

Image one: Peter Saul. Man with a Secret, 2016. Acrylic on canvas. Courtesy of Jacob Lewis.

Image two: Peter Saul. Buddy, 2018. Acrylic on canvas. Courtesy of Jacob Lewis.