Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM SEPTEMBER 30-OCTOBER 6, 2020 UCW 13 COVER STORY Debbie Stewart of Fayetteville views an etching by Dutch artist Rembrandt can Rijn. Methodist University's David McCune Art Gallery is show- casing the "Rembrandt: e Sign and the Light" exhibition through Nov. 18. e exhibition displays a series of 59 etch- ings by the well-known Dutch painter, Rembrandt van Rijn and is a part of the gallery's 10-year anniversary celebration. "One of the things that's very attractive about this show is Rembrandt's way of storytelling," Silvana Foti, Art Director and Curator of McCune Gallery said. "e way he captures human quality, almost seems like his subject matter was staged, they're extremely theatrical." Rembrandt was a 17th-century Dutch artist who estab- lished himself as one of the greatest storytellers in art history through his ability to render people in his work. Rembrandt's work is known to approach "real life" through theatrical trans- position. Foti described the etchings to have a psychological emo- tional drama that's connected between the images when looking at them. e etchings on display offer a variety of subjects, including religious figures, scenes, portraits, figure studies and famous beggars from Rembrandt's 35-year career. e name of the exhibit is derived from the technique used by Rembrandt in the etchings that are on display. "ere will be some etchings that are very dark, and when you begin to examine them there will be sparks or light that will just illuminate," Foti said. "A kind of technique used by Rembrandt known as Chiaroscuro, creating a strong contrast between light and dark." Each visitor is provided with a magnifier to witness the de- tails in Rembrandt's etchings. Most people think of Rembrandt as a painter and are sur- prised by his etchings that profoundly changed the course of art history, Foti said. "It would be an awful shame to not be able to see this exhi- bition in person, this is a once in a lifetime for many people," she said. e David McCune Art Gallery is known to host two shows per year, a regional show and an international show. Shows are planned a year or two in advance. e different exhibits are selected based on things like familiarity with the artists' names, different time periods, different styles and likes, Foti said. "e Sign and the Light" exhibition is a part of the gallery's 10-year anniversary celebration. e gallery has brought some well-renowned names like Picasso, Rodin and Chagall, among others, to exhibitions in the past. "I think we have been a pretty big gem here in Fayetteville, offering art not just to the university but community," Foti said. e gallery has attracted many art lovers from across differ- ent states like New York, Georgia, Virginia and more who are sur- prised to see such shows come to a small university like Methodist University, she said. Senior graphic design major Tom Gore said that it was amazing for him to see these great pieces of art, right here at Methodist Univer- sity, without having to travel to New York. "Methodist sets itself apart from other universities in many ways, but for a university to bring in master artist exhibits such as Picasso, Rodin, Chagall and Rembrandt year after year is just unheard of," said Bradley Johnson, director of Marketing & Communications at Methodist University. He said he toured the exhibit with his wife last Friday, and there were visitors in the gallery from Nebraska. "With Methodist allowing in guests to see original, 17th-cen- tury works from Rembrandt at no charge, it is truly a gift to the Fayetteville community and beyond," Johnson said. e museum has attracted fewer visitors due to the pandemic. e ticketing and limitation rules in place may be the issue since people are usually more impromptu and didn't have to commit to a time and date in the past, she said. Foti emphasized the importance of witnessing the exhibit in per- son and not just virtually to experience and understand the talent, details and technique of Rembrandt's etchings. "e main thing is you're going to be surprised by the etchings, the amount of detail and the way that Rembrandt has the ability to cap- ture your human quality and the world around him," Foti said. e exhibit is free to the public but with reserved days, times and face covering requirements due to COVID-19 restrictions. Visitors can go to https://davidmccunegallery.com to reserve a date and time and to access the free ticket. e gallery is open Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on weekends from noon to 4 p.m. e gallery will be closed Nov. 11 for Veterans Day. For more information about the gallery, exhibit and to access the free tickets, visit https://davidmccunegallery.com KEYURI PERAB, Editorial Assistant. COMMENTS? Editor@upandcomingweek- ly.com 910-484-6200. Rembrandt exhibit now open at Methodist's McCune Art Gallery by KEYURI PERAB Aurie and Edward Parker of Wake Forest visit the Rembrandt exhibit at Methodist University's David McCune Art Gallery.