Judy Gelles

Opening reception Fri., Feb. 15, 5:30-7:30 p.m., exhibit runs through March 15, Samuel S. Fleisher Art Memorial, 719 Catharine St., 215-922-3456, fleisher.org.

by Deni Kasrel

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Published: Feb 13, 2008

visual art

A picture may be worth a thousand words, but sometimes that might not be enough. Judy Gelles creates portraits combining photos and words to delve deeper. "I don't think the image says it all," says Gelles, who notes that in her art, "the portraits are fuzzy and the words are in focus. I think with the two you get a lot more than just seeing a person. It gives you a different point of view. Maybe a more truthful one of what the person is about." At her Fleisher Challenge 4 exhibit, Gelles presents portraits of 11 couples. For each piece, she took a photo of the pair — later blurred to become shadowlike — and conducted interviews asking each person to describe his or her mate and answer a series of questions, such as what they like to do together, what do they wish for and more. Gelles culled the best responses, then chose words to suit the portraits. "I had to fit the size and number of words to go with the body shape and to make it flow," she says. "I looked at the totality to see if there were opposites and similarities between the couple, and often there was a yin/yang effect. Opposites attract."

Opening reception Fri., Feb. 15, 5:30-7:30 p.m., exhibit runs through March 15, Samuel S. Fleisher Art Memorial, 719 Catharine St., 215-922-3456, fleisher.org.

 

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