Susan Unterberg
A Retrospective
Elaine L. Jacob Gallery
November 11 – December 16, 2005
Wayne State University, 480 West Hancock, Detroit, MI 48202
http://www.art.wayne.edu/jacob_gallery.php

Susan Unterberg: A Retrospective recalls eleven series of works by the artist. The exhibition begins with, Mothers and Daughters (1985-1986), and ends with, Pisces (2004). In between, in procession throughout the gallery, are Sisters, Couples, Fathers and Sons, Double Takes, Technicolor Dreams, Water Dreams, Insects, Horse Eyes, and White Horses. Each body of work is essentially a straight depiction of its title. Some are a bit more metaphorical, such as Technicolor Dreams, Water Dreams, and Pisces.

To follow this retrospective is to follow an unfolding of the artist’s understanding of portraiture and abstraction. The first floor consists of the artist’s earlier work – all essentially conventional portraiture. There are four bodies of work, Mothers and Daughters, Sisters, Couples, and Fathers and Sons. Each of these series is straight portrayals of their respective titles. Each is large in scale – life size or near life size – and each is superbly rich in color and contrast. Put simply, the photography is stunning. In addition, Unterberg places each person within the frame in such a way that it accentuates not only the confrontation the subjects have with each other, but also the confrontation between photograph and viewer.

As the retrospective progresses, Unterberg moves away from the relationship as subject and towards the introspective. Throughout the second floor of the gallery space, Unterberg begins using various metaphors for self. The first images encountered, from the series Double Takes, acts as a transition between the previous works, Mothers and Daughters, Sisters, Couples, and Fathers and Sons and the second floor of the exhibition, Technicolor Dreams, Water Dreams, Insects, Horse Eyes, White Horses, and Pisces.

In Double Takes, Unterberg begins to abstract her idea of portraiture. As the only small and intimate series, these works depict various precious objects and spaces. The reduced scale draws the viewer in, promising secrets through the mundane. In depicting things rather than people, Unterberg clearly takes a step away from conventional portraiture, abstracting the idea of what defines a person.

While Double Takes uses allusion as its primary vehicle, the remainder of the exhibitions roots itself deeply in metaphor. Unterberg uses aesthetic to convey these ideas. With Insects, Horse Eyes, and White Horses, Unterberg uses the subjects as a metaphor for self. Each possesses qualities that she identifies with as an individual and artist.

In Technicolor Dreams, Water Dreams, and Pisces, Unterberg begins to abstract form in addition to idea. Her blurring of line and color give the images a painterly quality reminiscent of the Impressionist era. These works begin to extend the boundaries of photography as a medium, reflecting contemporary ideas of hybridity.

The only drawback of Unterberg’s work is its contrived nature. With the conventional portraits on the first floor, Unterberg places her subjects and directs their behavior in order to maximize how the work communicates with the viewer. Unfortunately, in doing so, she also takes away the sincerity of the image – thereby minimizing what they communicate. For example, in Fathers and Sons, Unterberg directed her subjects to not look at each other and to not smile. However, viewers already know the stereotypical relationship between fathers and sons. Unterberg has simply reinforced a cold notion, distancing the content and meaning from the warmth that her colors promise. As a result, this work becomes more about what Unterberg imagines these relationships to be rather than what they actually are.

Similarly, Unterberg’s later work also fails to expand its content beyond superficial meaning. While the images are almost always extremely pleasing to the eye, it lacks substance. Joseph Grigley wrote, “Seeing is forgetting the name of the thing one sees.” Translation: Once the viewer can name something, they know it wholly and then the artwork ends. In this case, Unterberg identifies exactly how the public should view the work through the titles. As a result, there is nothing to hold the viewer other than aesthetic. We understand that this is a horse eye, or a blurred waterfall, or an insect, and we move on. The paradox here lies in the fact that her use of the title as the entry point ends rather than beginning the art experience.

In a statement released by the Yancey Richardson Gallery for her exhibition, Pisces, Unterberg states, “The evanescent moment of beauty, the dissolution of a realistic subject into sudden abstraction – this phenomenon fascinates me.” This is what Unterberg does best. She recognizes that moment of transformation and captures it. That is enough.

- Jacque Liu

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