On the Good/Evil Border
THE DRESDEN EXHIBIT'S FINAL WEEKS
Self-taught painter Sebastian Spreng was immediately inspired by the vibrant colors of Miami when he first visited in the mid-1980s from his homeland of Argentina. For more than three decades since then, Spreng has created works of art from his condo on Biscayne Bay that have been exhibited across the U.S., Europe and South America.
Spreng’s current exhibit at the Lowe Art Museum takes on a different hue. Though Spreng is Argentinian by birth, his ancestors hailed from Germany, and his family’s roots sparked his interest in the city of Dresden. That East German city, once home to Medieval and Renaissance artists, was incinerated toward the end of World War II by an Allied bombing spree, despite having no military value.
To Spreng, Dresden – the title of his current exhibition – symbolizes “humankind’s endless potential for good and evil.” This thought is portrayed in the more literal pieces that show outlines of a burning city or ruins.
All 61 works in “DRESDEN,” were created on an iPad, with many then printed on aluminum. Spreng, who is confined to a wheelchair due to muscular dystrophy, turned to the iPad after painting became too physically painful. According to Spreng, “The late art critic Helen Kohen suggested to me to try to draw on an iPad, like David Hockney did. I started from scratch, like I did with painting, without tutorials or influences, trying to develop the same style that I had as a painter. And it works.”
Sebastian Spreng: DRESDEN Haunting images of the destruction of Dresden during WWII Created digitally and printed on brushed aluminum squares
Through Sept. 23 $12.50 ($8 seniors) Lowe Art Museum (UM) 1301 Stanford Drive www.lowe.miami.edu 305.284.3535
