Ever wonder how an animated film could be made out of woodcut art? Probably not, because Jay Bolotin's "The Jackleg Testament" may be the first in the history of modern art, and Vanderbilt students have a front row seat to the action.
Bolotin, who was born in Fayette County, Ky., in 1949, attended the Rhode Island School of Design for two years before becoming an apprentice to sculptor and painter Robert Lamb. Today, Bolotin's work is displayed at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the New York Public Library and the Australian National Museum in Canberra, to name a few. He also frequently performs as a singer, songwriter and guitarist and reached No. 6 on the Billboard charts for "It's Hard to Go Down Easy," the song he wrote for Dan Fogelberg.
Yet, here on campus, the Fine Arts Gallery and Sarratt Gallery are giving students the opportunity to experience this innovative artist's work first hand. Bolotin, who is a writer, composer, performer, set designer, visual artist and filmmaker, was able to immerse himself in every aspect of creating his film. Most important, however, was his desire to expose his audience to a unique way of using art to explain the human condition. Bolotin does so by combining immobile woodcut images with the dynamism of a motion picture.
"This current project - the making of a woodcut motion picture - was arrived at by the wish to approach the woodcuts in a more direct manner, by using the woodcuts themselves to fabricate the continued work." Bolotin said.
In other words, he wishes to interact with woodcut art in such a way that he is able to bring it to life, deepen its meaning and increase his audience's appreciation of this unique form of expression.
Though the exhibits in the galleries will display his print work that served as the film's inspiration, the viewer may be left wondering how Bolotin actually came up with his ideas.
"It has been my method over the past 25 years to investigate stories, incidents and thoughts, often from the Kentucky of my youth and imagination," he said.
The intent of "The Jackleg Testament" is to reinterpret and reiterate, in Bolotin's own terms, the story of creation from the Book of Genesis. Though it is twisted to a high degree, Bolotin's score, which has been described as a "fusion of modern classical and folk music," draws from a wide variety of artistic and literary influences, such as medieval religious imagery, Maurice Sendak, the Bible, Shakespeare, William Blake and Franz Kafka. These diverse influences serve to make this film an interesting and innovative take on the story of creation.
Opening receptions will be held tonight, Feb. 22, in the Fine Arts Gallery and Sarratt Gallery, at 5 p.m. and 5:30 p.m., respectively. Sarratt Cinema will hold a viewing of Bolotin's film at 7 p.m. later tonight. On Feb. 23, Bolotin will hold an informal discussion with students at the Fine Arts Gallery. The exhibit will be available for viewing until March 22. For more information, contact Joseph Mella from the Fine Arts Gallery at 343-1704, or Bridgette Kohnhorst from Sarratt Gallery at 322-0849.
