Landscapes? Don’t think so. Portraits? Maybe. Statements? Definitely.
The artist Tim Wengertsman received his degree from Hartford Art School and lives and works in Hartford Connecticut. Tim has rarely shown his drawings before so it’s quite exciting to have this selection of work on display. Artists the likes of, Beckman, Grosz, Kollwitz and Steadman are some serious influences Wengertsman has been inspired by and it shows well.
He will tell you he’s part of the punk subculture, and that subculture pulses through every city. But he’s an artist. And that means he’s a lens or a reflection or whatever metaphor or analogy one want’s to use, to a way artists, punkers, poets and rockers see our world and tell cool stories about it. It’s also a subculture that speaks out against racism, homophobia, social injustice, and gets on with the day to day need to make art and music and ends meet.
For Tim and artists like him they want to be clear they’re non-conformist and are not some alien beings. Easy to say, “What’s up with that look”…symbols and icons, Inked up and pierced up, I wouldn’t do that. Well…I’m sure glad someone is, just to remind me “different” is everywhere so “get used to different”.
Often the drawings are studies and sources for the stunning woodcut prints he produces. They are intense, rebellious, dense with symbolism and are very personal. Rich with private allegory they challenge you to see deeper as you look closer. E. B. K.