“Thomas MacPherson: Selected Works 1985-2015” is currently on display in the Lederer Gallery in Brodie Hall. The exhibit looks back on the phases of Geneseo art history professor Thomas MacPherson’s work in the last 25 years.
The gallery is arranged chronologically, starting with the oldest pieces placed to the right. These pieces are mostly based on water, featuring swimmers as well as abstract shapes and reflections in water.
The pieces created in the early to mid-2000s were largely inspired by the fact that MacPherson “turned on his computer for the first time in 2000.” As a result, these paintings were inspired by heavily color-edited photographs. Retaining the basic cool or warm theme of the original color, MacPherson switched blues out for greens and reds for oranges. The results are truly beautiful and rather psychedelic.
In more recent works, MacPherson began utilizing egg-tempera. These paintings are inspired by Renaissance works, but with a twist. Each of the pieces focuses on MacPherson’s family members, emphasizing his Sicilian heritage. The pieces contain objects that reflect facets of the subject’s life alongside the subjects themselves.
The exhibit ends with MacPherson’s most recent works—most of which are landscape watercolors. “Thomas MacPherson: Selected Works 1985-2015” will be on display in the Lederer Gallery until May 2.