Groundbreaking art confronts viewers in Katzen

Media Credit: Christopher Cottrell TORTURED ARTIST - Colombian neo-figuratist Fernando Botero displays his controversial collection of Abu Ghraib paintings as a whole for the first time. Botero's paintings reflect his reaction to the atrocities committed by U.S. military personnel at the Iraqi prison that became public in 2004.

The American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center confronts viewers with three moving art exhibits that question the practice of human actions in war, society and the women's movement. At the museum, the "ART of CONFRONTation" exhibit features "Fernando Botero: Abu Ghraib," "Dark Metropolis: Irving Norman's Social Realism" and "Claiming Space: Feminist Originators."

On the opening night of the exhibit, the museum was packed. A total of 1,350 people attended the opening, which was 400 more than usual, according to the museum's director and curator, Jack Rasmussen. The galleries were filled with students, patrons, artists, volunteers and Dr. Cyrus Katzen himself. Two women from Colombia even flew to D.C. in hopes of meeting Botero.

The first comprehensive showing of all of Botero's work on Abu Ghraib can be found on the third floor of the museum. The series of paintings make the subject of torture at the Iraqi prison come alive. The graphic subject matter of torture works well with Botero's signature style of seemingly swollen figures. In a discussion with Botero earlier on Tuesday, the artist cited Giotto, Peter Paul Rubens and Titian as inspiration. He said painting his figures any other way would disrespect more than 600 years of masterpieces that focus on depth and form. As when examining the work of cubists like Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, the viewer almost feels as if he or she looks at more than one view of a subject.

In this series, the disgraceful actions of humankind overwhelm the viewer. Carefully rendered details, such as blood and dirty toenails, provoke the observer to indignation. The monotone color scheme in the 39 drawings and watercolor sketches set in opposition to vivid details, like drips of red blood and streams of yellow urine, make the indignity of the images stand out even more.

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