Nancy Rosen - Frankly Mine at Studio Oh!

Nancy Rosen, mixed media on paper, 50x50"

This past Friday evening—fighting the remnants of a holiday cold—I was excited to attend the opening reception of Nancy Rosen’s latest solo exhibition titled, “Frankly Mine” at Studio Oh! When I arrived, I was inundated by the crowd of Rosen’s passionate collectors—many who have been made aware of Rosen’s work due to the Netflix show “Grace and Frankie.” The show's producers found Rosen’s work and continue to utilize it as that of Frankie’s—the character played by the iconic Lily Tomlin.

Rosen—a highly prolific artist—has been working in her current style for more than a decade. I believe that I first became aware of Rosen’s work in 2009 when I juried one of her large works on paper into an exhibition titled “Red” at Gallery 180 of The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago. A solo exhibition followed shortly thereafter. Since then, I’ve been honored to curate many of her pieces into the ever-evolving human rights exhibition, “The Art of Influence: Breaking Criminal Traditions.” The show offers unique presentations for each new venue. 

Rosen will tell you that painting—for her—is like breathing… it’s just what she does. She will also tell you that, what you see in her paintings is your own reflection. I agree with her. When you look at any piece of art, you bring your history to that moment. Your personal reality—created by your past—is what you experience.

As a curator, I’ve spent a great deal of time exploring Rosen’s imagery. Seemingly influenced by the organically-abstract style of Egon Schiele—the early 20th century Austrian painter—Rosen creates her figures with irregular lines, generally understated color and beautifully-obsessive background patterns, which result in highly emotional compositions. Mostly the void of men, in my mind, her work is about women and their supportive relationships with other women. Rosen’s imagery defines the beauty and the pressures of the female experience. The beautiful background patterns seem to be  symbolic of humanity disappearing into visual chaos.

If you have not had the opportunity to experience the work of Nancy Rosen, make the time to visit Studio Oh! Located at 4839 N. Damen Avenue in Chicago. Gallery hours are Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 1-6 pm and by appointment. The exhibition continues through February 15th.
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