"In Remembrance of the Ladies," an art exhibit featuring work by Boston-based artist Jane Ehrlich, opened Oct. 5 at the Sarah Doyle Women's Center Gallery.
But despite the artist's indisputable technical talent, Ehrlich's paintings do little to captivate or hold the attention of the viewer. In her oil paintings, Ehrlich depicts traditionally feminine articles of clothing, such as bustiers, gloves and lacy camisoles, often accompanied by heart-shaped windows, flowers and doily designs. In reproducing these items on wooden surfaces, Ehrlich reveals her strong technical ability to render fine details. "Lace Jacket," a painting portraying a delicate white jacket displayed on a mannequin, demonstrates the artist's understanding of texture and weight.
"By their close investigation of articles from an earlier era, (the paintings create) a glimpse into my past, filtered through the lens of time," Ehrlich said in her artist's statement. Yet Ehrlich's paintings hardly convey her personal history - the images she uses are the generic images of a little girl's make-believe land, rather than anything specific to her own past.
In "Let's Pretend," for example, the artist paints images such as white high heels decorated with feathers and a frog on a lily pad, each framed by heart-shaped lace, on a black background covered with white doily designs. While the images in the painting do say "girlhood" to the viewer, it is a struggle to see into the personal world the artist is attempting to convey.
Putting aside Ehrlich's personal intentions, the paintings themselves still fail to stand on their own. Ehrlich simply presents the viewer with the general objects of girlhood fantasy - ribbons, roses and silky nightgowns - entirely without critique or commentary from the artist.
The exhibit, which consists of 21 paintings, will be on display in the Women's Center Gallery until Oct. 26.
