Campus Art Through Student Eyes

"Artists and Models,"

Lauren Downie, Peter Santo and Ashley Hebert

"Artists and Models," 1998
Ann Cernow
Oil on Canvas
Gift of Herbert & Virginia Lust
Main Academic Building, across from the Registrar's Office

"Artist and Models," a painting by artist Ann Chernow, depicts women from the 1930's and 1940's. The painting presents such feminine images that only the artist can describe which takes the viewer back to the dawn of feminism. Chernow creates a world of her own involving familiar women, film stars and even herself.

Chernow was born in 1936 in New York. Ever since she was a little girl, the idea of movie theaters and film stars intrigued her as she was captivated by the experience of going to see a movie. She later studied at Syracuse University where she met her husband and soul mate. Afterwards, Chernow received her bachelor's and master's degree from New York University. From there, the married couple began teaching art history and studio art. Chernow taught at the Museum of Modern Art from 1966-1970 and at the University of Connecticut from 1968-1980.

Chernow is a Westport artist and her work is displayed around the world including exhibits in Macedonia and Bulgaria. Her art is mostly done in oil, and graphics and are based on specific scenes, characters and impression related to movies from the 1930's and the 1940's.

This is the period marked the beginning of the feminist movement, which is why Chernow decides to emulate her characters around this time. Another more practical reason for focusing on women from this time period is because, as she says, "Women had better costumes, the men just wore suits and fedoras, but the women had elaborate dresses and hats."

"Artists and Models" gives the viewer a sense of calmness and femininity. When standing close to the painting, there are tiny specks of primary colors which make certain objects stand out. The portraits of the actresses in the background were posed to look like World War II pinups, Hollywood snapshots, or fashion photos. There is even an image of the artist, standing to the right of the painting facing outward.

As a self portrait of the artist, "Artists and Models" conveys a clear vision: Chernow's love for old time movies. All of the characters in the photos of the painting are either friends or family members of the artist.

Chernow likes to accentuate her characters physical clumsiness to make them appear more real. Her characters are her friends and family because she does not want professional models taking away from her vision. To make it look familiar she needs it to look as real as possible and using people close to her brings in that reality. The reasoning behind using movie aspects in her works is because "movies are never forgotten."

When you look at the painting, Chernow is wearing a peculiar dress on the right side. The dress is actually what the ushers used to wear at the movie theater near her home. She was so fascinated with this outfit, that she went and bought one from the local clothing store.

This painting took about a month to complete not because of the difficulty of this piece, but because Chernow paints numerous paintings at once. She says it keeps her "visual energy fresh," which keeps her brain from becoming stagnant and bored with a single piece. Chernow chooses to paint this way to ensure that her creativity is not lost by working on a single painting. It allows her mind to remain innovative and resourceful even when working on a painting that may not have anything to do with the other.

The most common aspect about the artist's work is that she tries to create a sense of déjà vu. She wants viewers to look at her artwork and have the familiar feeling that they have seen it before.

No large amounts of negative space are apparent in the painting, but in between each portrait on the changing screen is undefined space that is blurry and unclear. Even the top of the painting is filled with patterns in pastel colors. These particular colors give the painting somewhat of a stained glass effect. The color and texture of this painting may be two of the most important aspects to note.

Chernow's painting of "Artist and Models" is an ongoing dialogue which shows the process of exchange between the artist, her subject, the image and the viewer's perceptions and interpretations. This piece is a traditional Chernow painting which can be understood by looking at her color schemes as well as her subjects in the artwork.

-Excerpted from the research paper by

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