For nearly 27 years, Jason Franz has perfected his craft by drawing from live models, capturing the very essence of human life. Every freckle, dimple or wrinkle captured tells a story, and the 'Nati from Cincinnati preserves each one in his exhibition, 'Figure Ensō: Twenty-Two Years of Life Drawings,' at the Western Illinois University Art Gallery.
At this showing, 43 portraits are showcased. Whether he used pen, graphite, charcoal or watercolor, each piece resembles a stoic moment. Some reflect what felt like the unending curse of the COVID-19 pandemic, as one of the two portraits of women ponders the abyss of the unknown, her gaze fixed galaxies away, while others seem to show thoughts tumbling from their heads and drifting up toward the universe. Each work is vastly different from the next. Yet, it was the unfinished pieces that resonated most deeply with me. Their incomplete forms invite the viewer’s imagination to fill in the gaps, sparking questions: What was the intended pose? Why was the momentum halted? Did the model depart before the portrait was complete? These openended stories seem to speak even louder than the finished works, as if the silence and ambiguity of what is left undone leaves a lingering echo, urging us to look closer and wonder about the lives and moments suspended in time.
Franz’s 'Figure Ensō: Twenty-Two Years of Life Drawings” will be on view through Friday, November 14. The University Art Gallery (located at 1 University Circle in Macomb) is open from 9 a.m. to noon, then 1 to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, and from 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturdays. Admission is free and open to the public.
